2000
#13,440
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,077
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.77
Rare Last name
Veatch
Derived from a place name meaning "dweller by the river bay" in Old English.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,298 Americans carry the last name Veatch. That puts it at #14,358 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.67 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 149,153 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Veatch 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
2.3K
1 in 149,153
Census rank
#14,358
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.0K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,004 bearers of the surname Veatch in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.67 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 14358th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Veatch, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.0%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.6%) and Hispanic (3.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Veatch
The surname Veatch has its origins in Germany and dates back to the 16th century. It is believed to have originated from the German word "Veicht," which means "farmer" or "peasant." The name was likely first used to identify those who worked in agriculture or lived in rural areas.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the Veatch surname can be found in the town records of Simmern, a small village in the Rhineland-Palatinate region of Germany. In 1562, a man named Hans Veicht was listed as a resident of the village, lending credence to the theory that the name originated in this area.
As migration patterns shifted throughout Europe, the Veatch name began to appear in other regions. In the late 17th century, a family bearing the surname Veatch settled in the town of Ayr, Scotland. This Scottish branch of the family likely adopted the anglicized spelling of "Veatch" to better assimilate into their new surroundings.
One notable figure in history who bore the Veatch surname was William Veatch (1789-1868), an American politician who served as a member of the United States House of Representatives from Ohio. He was also a lawyer and a judge, and his legacy is remembered in the town of Veatchville, Kentucky, which was named in his honor.
Another prominent individual with the Veatch name was James Veatch (1819-1895), a pioneering American botanist and explorer. He is credited with discovering several new plant species during his expeditions through the American West, and his contributions to the field of botany are still recognized today.
In the realm of literature, the Veatch surname is represented by Arthur Veatch (1867-1937), an American author and educator. He wrote several books on philosophy and ethics, including "Decentralizing the Administration of Boston" and "Rational Self-Cultivation."
Moving into the 20th century, Robert Veatch (1939-2020) was a renowned American ethicist and bioethicist. He served as a professor at Georgetown University and wrote extensively on topics such as medical ethics, patient autonomy, and end-of-life decision-making. His works, including "A Theory of Medical Ethics" and "The Basics of Bioethics," have had a lasting impact on the field of bioethics.
Finally, one cannot overlook the contributions of Henry Veatch (1911-1999), an American philosopher and professor at Northwestern University. He specialized in the study of ancient Greek philosophy and was particularly renowned for his work on Aristotle. His book "Aristotle: A Contemporary Appreciation" is considered a seminal text in the field of Aristotelian studies.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Veatch
Among Census respondents with the surname Veatch, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.0%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.6%) and Hispanic (3.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Veatch 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 Veatch surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White91.0% · 1,824
- Two or more races3.6% · 72
- Hispanic or Latino3.5% · 70
- Black or African American0.7% · 14
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 14
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.5% · 10
Timeline
Historical Census data for Veatch
Veatch 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
#14,191
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,116
+39 bearers (+1.9%)
Per 100,000 0.72
Rank movement Down 751 places
2020
#14,358
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,004
-112 bearers (-5.3%)
Per 100,000 0.67
Rank movement Down 167 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #13,440 | 2,077 | 0.77 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #14,191 | 2,116 | 0.72 | +39 bearers (+1.9%) | Down 751 places |
| 2020 | #14,358 | 2,004 | 0.67 | -112 bearers (-5.3%) | Down 167 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 Veatch 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 | #14,191 | #14,358 | -1.2% |
| Count | 2,116 | 2,004 | -5.3% |
| Per 100K | 0.72 | 0.67 | -6.9% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Veatch bearers went from 2,116 to 2,004 (-5.3% change). The surname moved down 167 positions in the national ranking, going from #14,191 to #14,358.
FAQ
Veatch surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Veatch?
Name Census estimates that about 2,298 living Americans carry the surname Veatch. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 149,153 residents.
How common is Veatch?
Veatch ranks #14,358 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.67 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 2,004 people with the surname Veatch. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,298), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.67 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.67 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 Veatch.
Has Veatch become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Veatch went from 2,116 recorded bearers to 2,004. That is a decrease of 112 (-5.3%). In the national ranking it fell from #14,191 to #14,358.
What does the Census say about the background of Veatch?
Among Census respondents with the surname Veatch, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.0%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.6%) and Hispanic (3.5%). 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 Veatch in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.0% (1,824 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Veatch appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (91.0%), Two or More Races (3.6%), Hispanic (3.5%). 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 Veatch (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 Veatch mean?
Derived from a place name meaning "dweller by the river bay" in Old English. 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 Veatch (0.67 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 people are called Veatch?
For a quick modern take, check how common the surname Veatch is on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org.