2000
#15,125
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,789
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.66
Rare Last name
Vaz
A Portuguese and Galician surname derived from the given name Vasco, likely meaning "crow" or "raven".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,980 Americans carry the last name Vaz. That puts it at #11,570 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.87 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 115,018 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Vaz 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 Vaz with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
3.0K
1 in 115,018
Census rank
#11,570
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.9
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.6K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,599 bearers of the surname Vaz in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.87 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 11570th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Vaz, the largest self-reported group is White at 48.3%. The next largest groups are Black (17.1%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (16.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Vaz
The surname VAZ originated in Portugal during the Middle Ages. It is believed to be derived from the Latin word "vasus," meaning "vessel" or "container." This suggests that the name may have initially referred to someone who worked with vessels or containers, such as a potter or a cooper.
In the 13th century, the name appeared in various records from the northern regions of Portugal, particularly in the areas around Braga and Porto. Some of the earliest documented instances of the name include "Vaz" and "Vaaz," which were likely different spellings of the same surname.
One notable historical reference is the mention of a João Vaz in the "Livro Velho de Linhagens" (Old Book of Lineages), a Portuguese manuscript from the 13th century that recorded the genealogies of noble families.
The earliest recorded bearer of the name was Martim Vaz, who lived in the 12th century and was a knight in the service of King Afonso Henriques, the first King of Portugal. Another prominent figure was Pedro Vaz de Caminha, a Portuguese explorer and writer who accompanied Pedro Álvares Cabral on the voyage that led to the discovery of Brazil in 1500.
In the 16th century, the name gained prominence with the explorer Estêvão Vaz Pinto, who is credited with being one of the first Europeans to travel to the African interior. He explored the regions of modern-day Mozambique and Zimbabwe in the 1540s.
During the Age of Exploration, the name spread to other parts of the world as Portuguese explorers and settlers established colonies. One notable figure was Vasco Vaz de Almada, a 16th-century Portuguese navigator and cartographer who helped map the coasts of Brazil and Africa.
In the realm of literature, the name is associated with the 19th-century Portuguese writer Almeida Garrett, whose full name was João Baptista da Silva Leitão de Almeida Garrett Vaz.
Other notable individuals with the surname VAZ include:
1. Afonso Vaz, a 15th-century Portuguese explorer who accompanied Vasco da Gama on his voyage to India.
2. Francisco Vaz de Sequeira, a 16th-century Portuguese navigator and explorer who led an expedition to Malacca.
3. António Vaz, a 17th-century Portuguese Jesuit missionary who worked in Brazil and is known for his writings on the indigenous peoples of the region.
4. João Vaz Corte Real, a 15th-century Portuguese navigator and explorer who was among the first Europeans to explore the coasts of Newfoundland and Labrador.
5. Manuel Vaz Dias, a 16th-century Portuguese explorer who is credited with being the first European to set foot in what is now South Africa.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Vaz
Among Census respondents with the surname Vaz, the largest self-reported group is White at 48.3%. The next largest groups are Black (17.1%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (16.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Vaz 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 Vaz surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White48.3% · 1,256
- Black or African American17.1% · 445
- Asian and Pacific Islander16.9% · 439
- Hispanic or Latino12.5% · 326
- Two or more races5.0% · 131
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.1% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Vaz
Vaz 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
#13,190
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,317
+528 bearers (+29.5%)
Per 100,000 0.79
Rank movement Up 1,935 places
2020
#11,570
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,599
+282 bearers (+12.2%)
Per 100,000 0.87
Rank movement Up 1,620 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #15,125 | 1,789 | 0.66 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #13,190 | 2,317 | 0.79 | +528 bearers (+29.5%) | Up 1,935 places |
| 2020 | #11,570 | 2,599 | 0.87 | +282 bearers (+12.2%) | Up 1,620 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 Vaz 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 | #13,190 | #11,570 | 12.3% |
| Count | 2,317 | 2,599 | 12.2% |
| Per 100K | 0.79 | 0.87 | 10.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Vaz bearers went from 2,317 to 2,599 (+12.2% change). The surname moved up 1,620 positions in the national ranking, going from #13,190 to #11,570.
FAQ
Vaz surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Vaz?
Name Census estimates that about 2,980 living Americans carry the surname Vaz. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 115,018 residents.
How common is Vaz?
Vaz ranks #11,570 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.87 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 2,599 people with the surname Vaz. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,980), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.87 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.87 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 Vaz.
Has Vaz become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Vaz went from 2,317 recorded bearers to 2,599. That is an increase of 282 (+12.2%). In the national ranking it rose from #13,190 to #11,570.
What does the Census say about the background of Vaz?
Among Census respondents with the surname Vaz, the largest self-reported group is White at 48.3%. The next largest groups are Black (17.1%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (16.9%). 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 Vaz in the 2020 Census, accounting for 48.3% (1,256 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Vaz appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (48.3%), Black (17.1%), Asian/Pacific Islander (16.9%). 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 Vaz (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 Vaz mean?
A Portuguese and Galician surname derived from the given name Vasco, likely meaning "crow" or "raven". 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 Vaz (0.87 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 Vaz?
You can see how common the surname Vaz is on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.