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

Vawter, 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 Vawter surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Vawter in America

Vawter is the 16662nd most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Vawter surname appeared 1,719 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 1 people would have the surname Vawter.

We can also compare 2010 data for Vawter 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 Vawter

The surname Vawter originates from England and can be traced back to the 13th century. It is believed to have derived from the Old French word "vautre," which means "groom" or "keeper of grayhounds." This suggests that the name was likely an occupational surname for someone who worked with hunting dogs.

The earliest recorded variation of the name appears to be "le Vautor" in the Hundred Rolls of Huntingdonshire in 1273. This record indicates that the name was present in the English county of Huntingdonshire during the medieval period.

In the 14th century, the surname is found in various spellings, such as "Vautour," "Vautrer," and "Vawter." These variations reflect the evolution of the name's pronunciation and spelling over time.

The name Vawter can be found in several historical records, including the Pipe Rolls of Staffordshire in 1332, which mention a John Vautrer. The Subsidy Rolls of Suffolk in 1381 also list a Thomas Vawter.

One notable individual with this surname was Robert Vawter, born around 1638 in England. He immigrated to Virginia in the late 17th century and became one of the earliest settlers in what is now Henrico County, Virginia.

Another significant figure was Jesse Vawter, born in 1785 in Kentucky. He served as a colonel in the Indiana militia during the War of 1812 and later became a prominent landowner and community leader in Indiana.

In the 19th century, William Vawter, born in 1819 in Ohio, gained recognition as a lawyer and politician. He served as a member of the Ohio State Senate and was later appointed as a judge in the Illinois Circuit Court.

John Vawter, born in 1808 in Virginia, was a Baptist minister and educator who founded several schools and colleges in the southern United States, including Judson College in Alabama.

Lastly, Charles Vawter, born in 1855 in Indiana, was a renowned architect who designed numerous buildings in Indianapolis and other parts of the Midwest during the late 19th and early 20th centuries.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Vawter

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

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 Vawter 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 Vawter 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 Vawter was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

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

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