Find out how popular the last name Vaughan is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Vaughan.

Vaughan, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Vaughan surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Vaughan in America

Vaughan is the 893rd most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Vaughan surname appeared 38,830 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 13 people would have the surname Vaughan.

We can also compare 2010 data for Vaughan to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name Vaughan

The surname Vaughan originates from Wales and dates back to the 13th century. It is derived from the Welsh personal name "Vaughan" or "Fychan," which means "little" or "small." This suggests that the name may have been given to someone of smaller stature or a younger son.

The name Vaughan is found in various ancient records and manuscripts from Wales, including the Black Book of St. Davids, which dates back to the late 13th century. One of the earliest recorded instances of the name is in the Domesday Book of 1086, where it appears as "Vacchan."

In the 14th century, the surname Vaughan was prominent in the Welsh counties of Carmarthenshire and Pembrokeshire. The name is associated with several place names in these regions, such as Vaughan's Field and Vaughan's Hill, reflecting the influence and landholdings of the Vaughan family.

Notable individuals with the surname Vaughan throughout history include Sir Walter Vaughan (1598-1639), a Welsh lawyer and politician who served as Attorney General for Wales. Another prominent figure was Sir William Vaughan (1577-1641), a Welsh entrepreneur and pioneer of the English colonial settlement in Newfoundland.

Henry Vaughan (1622-1695) was a Welsh metaphysical poet and physician, known for his religious poetry and renowned works such as "Silex Scintillans." His twin brother, Thomas Vaughan (1622-1666), was a renowned alchemist and philosopher who wrote under the pseudonym "Eugenius Philalethes."

In the 18th century, Samuel Vaughan (1720-1802) was a successful merchant and philanthropist in England and America, contributing to the establishment of several educational institutions and libraries.

Throughout its history, the surname Vaughan has also been associated with various spellings and variations, such as Vaughn, Vaugain, and Vaugain, reflecting regional and linguistic differences.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Vaughan

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Vaughan.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Vaughan was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Vaughan has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Vaughan was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Vaughan, please contact us.

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