2000
#11,207
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,594
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.96
Rare Last name
Vass
A Hungarian occupational surname referring to a metalworker, specifically one who works with iron.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,711 Americans carry the last name Vass. That puts it at #12,517 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.79 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 126,431 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Vass surname. You will find the Census Bureau frequency data, a multi-census history view, an ancestry and ethnicity breakdown based on self-reported demographics, the name's meaning and origin where available, and answers to the most common questions people ask about this surname.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Vass with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
2.7K
1 in 126,431
Census rank
#12,517
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.8
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.4K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,364 bearers of the surname Vass in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.79 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 12517th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Vass, the largest self-reported group is White at 79.9%. The next largest groups are Black (11.0%) and Hispanic (3.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Vass
The surname VASS originated from Hungary and is derived from the Hungarian word "vas," which means "iron." This surname dates back to the medieval period, around the 13th or 14th century, when it was common for people to adopt occupational surnames related to their trade or profession.
VASS was likely a surname given to individuals who worked as blacksmiths, ironmongers, or in other professions involving ironwork. The name may have also been associated with people living in areas known for iron mining or smelting.
One of the earliest recorded mentions of the surname VASS can be found in the Árpád-kori új okmánytár (New Diplomatic Collection of the Árpád Era), a collection of medieval Hungarian charters and documents dating back to the 13th century. The name appears in various spellings, such as "Vass," "Vasy," and "Vas."
In the 15th century, a nobleman named Vass Miklós (Nicholas Vass) was mentioned in historical records as a member of the Hungarian gentry. Another notable individual with this surname was Vass Dániel (Daniel Vass), a 17th-century Hungarian Reformed Church minister and writer.
During the 18th century, the VASS surname was associated with several notable figures, including Vass Ádám (Adam Vass), a Hungarian mathematician and astronomer born in 1744, and Vass József (Joseph Vass), a Hungarian priest and writer born in 1756.
In the 19th century, Vass Bertalan (Bartholomew Vass), born in 1834, was a Hungarian politician and journalist who served as a member of the Hungarian Parliament. Another prominent figure was Vass Samu (Samuel Vass), a Hungarian writer and poet born in 1856.
Throughout history, the surname VASS has also been linked to various place names in Hungary, such as Vasvár, which literally means "iron castle," and Vásárosmiske, a village in Vas County.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Vass
Among Census respondents with the surname Vass, the largest self-reported group is White at 79.9%. The next largest groups are Black (11.0%) and Hispanic (3.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Vass bearers described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given surname, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown for every Census year so the breakdown stays comparable over time. When the source file also includes raw headcounts, Name Census shows those alongside the percentages in the legend.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A person's surname does not determine their race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the Vass surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White79.9% · 1,890
- Black or African American11.0% · 261
- Hispanic or Latino3.8% · 89
- Two or more races2.9% · 68
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.8% · 43
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.5% · 13
Timeline
Historical Census data for Vass
Vass appears in 3 published Census surname files: 2000, 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2010
#12,156
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,563
-31 bearers (-1.2%)
Per 100,000 0.87
Rank movement Down 949 places
2020
#12,517
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,364
-199 bearers (-7.8%)
Per 100,000 0.79
Rank movement Down 361 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #11,207 | 2,594 | 0.96 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #12,156 | 2,563 | 0.87 | -31 bearers (-1.2%) | Down 949 places |
| 2020 | #12,517 | 2,364 | 0.79 | -199 bearers (-7.8%) | Down 361 places |
For 2020, the Census Bureau published race and Hispanic-origin columns as counts rather than percentages. Name Census converts those counts back into shares so the ancestry section stays comparable with the older surname files.
Year on year
2010 vs 2020 Census
How has the Vass surname changed between Census years? The chart shows bearer count side by side, and the table compares rank, count, and frequency.
Census year comparison
20102020
| Metric | 2010 | 2020 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #12,156 | #12,517 | -3.0% |
| Count | 2,563 | 2,364 | -7.8% |
| Per 100K | 0.87 | 0.79 | -9.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Vass bearers went from 2,563 to 2,364 (-7.8% change). The surname moved down 361 positions in the national ranking, going from #12,156 to #12,517.
FAQ
Vass surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Vass?
Name Census estimates that about 2,711 living Americans carry the surname Vass. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 126,431 residents.
How common is Vass?
Vass ranks #12,517 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.79 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 2,364 people with the surname Vass. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,711), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.79 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.79 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Vass.
Has Vass become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Vass went from 2,563 recorded bearers to 2,364. That is a decrease of 199 (-7.8%). In the national ranking it fell from #12,156 to #12,517.
What does the Census say about the background of Vass?
Among Census respondents with the surname Vass, the largest self-reported group is White at 79.9%. The next largest groups are Black (11.0%) and Hispanic (3.8%). These figures come from the 2020 Census Bureau surname tables, based on how respondents described their own race and ethnicity.
Which group reports this surname most often?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Vass in the 2020 Census, accounting for 79.9% (1,890 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Vass appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (79.9%), Black (11.0%), Hispanic (3.8%). For 2020, the source file also published raw headcounts for each group, which is why this page can show both percentages and counts in the ancestry section.
Is this page using the latest Census data?
Yes. This page is using the latest surname file currently loaded on Name Census, which is 2020. The historical section above also keeps any older Census surname entries we have for Vass (2000, 2010, 2020).
Does the Census include every surname?
No. The Census Bureau only publishes surnames that appeared at least 100 times in a given decennial Census. That means very rare surnames are excluded entirely, and a surname can appear in one Census release but disappear from a later one if it falls below the reporting threshold.
Why don't the ancestry percentages always add up to exactly 100%?
There are two main reasons: rounding and suppression. The Census Bureau rounds published values, and it may suppress very small cells to protect privacy. For 2020, the Bureau also published raw group counts rather than direct percentages, so Name Census converts those counts back into shares for comparability across census years.
What does Vass mean?
A Hungarian occupational surname referring to a metalworker, specifically one who works with iron. The fuller origin note on this page goes into more detail.
Where does the surname data come from?
All surname statistics on Name Census are drawn from the US Census Bureau's decennial surname frequency tables. These files list every surname that appeared 100 or more times in the 2020 Census, along with a count, a per-100,000 rate, and a self-reported demographic breakdown. You can read the full explanation on our methodology page.
How does Name Census estimate living bearers?
For surnames, Name Census does not age cohorts the way it does for first names. Instead, it takes the Census Bureau's published frequency for Vass (0.79 per 100,000) and applies that rate to the current U.S. resident population to estimate how many living Americans have the surname today.
How common is the surname Vass?
Find out how many people are called Vass on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.