2000
#132,259
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 118
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Vavasseur
An old French surname denoting a feudal vassal or yeoman of lower rank.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 140 Americans carry the last name Vavasseur. That puts it at #140,525 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,448,245 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Vavasseur 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.
Bearers in the US
140
1 in 2,448,245
Census rank
#140,525
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
122
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 122 bearers of the surname Vavasseur in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 140525th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Vavasseur, the largest self-reported group is White at 60.7%. The next largest groups are Black (32.0%) and Hispanic (3.3%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Vavasseur
The surname VAVASSEUR originated in France during the medieval period. It derives from the Old French word "vavasseur," which referred to a vassal who held a fief from a baron or other superior lord. The name's earliest recorded spelling was "Valvasor" in the 11th century.
The name VAVASSEUR first appeared in Normandy, a region in northern France. It likely emerged as a hereditary surname during the 12th century when surnames began to become common practice in France. The earliest known bearer of this name was Radulphus Valvasor, who was recorded in the Domesday Book of 1086 for lands held in Nottinghamshire, England.
In the 13th century, the surname VAVASSEUR was found in various records from the Île-de-France region, which included Paris. One notable example was Gilles le Vavasseur, a wealthy merchant and landowner who lived in Paris around 1250.
During the 14th century, the name spread to other parts of France, including Brittany and Burgundy. In 1362, a noble family with the name VAVASSEUR was granted a coat of arms featuring three silver martlets on a blue field.
One of the earliest known individuals with the surname VAVASSEUR was Jean Vavasseur, a French architect and engineer born in 1535. He is best known for his work on the Château de Maulévrier in western France.
Another notable bearer of the name was François Vavasseur (1605-1676), a French Jesuit missionary who traveled to Canada and worked among the Huron and Iroquois nations. He published several works on their languages and customs.
In the 18th century, Jacques Vavasseur (1722-1796) was a French military engineer who served in the American Revolutionary War, helping to fortify several key locations for the Continental Army.
Moving to the 19th century, Léon Vavasseur (1834-1892) was a French inventor and industrialist who designed and manufactured several types of early machine guns and artillery pieces, including the Vavasseur mitrailleuse.
Finally, Georges Vavasseur (1876-1952) was a French painter and illustrator known for his Art Nouveau and Art Deco styles. He produced works for various publications and created posters for theatrical productions and commercial products.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Vavasseur
Among Census respondents with the surname Vavasseur, the largest self-reported group is White at 60.7%. The next largest groups are Black (32.0%) and Hispanic (3.3%).
The bar chart below shows how Vavasseur 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 Vavasseur surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White60.7% · 74
- Black or African American32.0% · 39
- Hispanic or Latino3.3% · 4
- Two or more races2.5% · 3
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 1
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.8% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Vavasseur
Vavasseur 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
#146,201
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 113
-5 bearers (-4.2%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 13,942 places
2020
#140,525
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 122
+9 bearers (+8.0%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 5,676 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #132,259 | 118 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #146,201 | 113 | 0.04 | -5 bearers (-4.2%) | Down 13,942 places |
| 2020 | #140,525 | 122 | 0.04 | +9 bearers (+8.0%) | Up 5,676 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 Vavasseur 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 | #146,201 | #140,525 | 3.9% |
| Count | 113 | 122 | 8.0% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | 2.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Vavasseur bearers went from 113 to 122 (+8.0% change). The surname moved up 5,676 positions in the national ranking, going from #146,201 to #140,525.
FAQ
Vavasseur surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Vavasseur?
Name Census estimates that about 140 living Americans carry the surname Vavasseur. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,448,245 residents.
How common is Vavasseur?
Vavasseur ranks #140,525 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 122 people with the surname Vavasseur. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (140), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.04 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Vavasseur.
Has Vavasseur become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Vavasseur went from 113 recorded bearers to 122. That is an increase of 9 (+8.0%). In the national ranking it rose from #146,201 to #140,525.
What does the Census say about the background of Vavasseur?
Among Census respondents with the surname Vavasseur, the largest self-reported group is White at 60.7%. The next largest groups are Black (32.0%) and Hispanic (3.3%). 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 Vavasseur in the 2020 Census, accounting for 60.7% (74 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Vavasseur appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (60.7%), Black (32.0%), Hispanic (3.3%). 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 Vavasseur (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 Vavasseur mean?
An old French surname denoting a feudal vassal or yeoman of lower rank. 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 Vavasseur (0.04 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 many Americans have the surname Vavasseur?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.