2000
#13,058
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,151
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.80
Rare Last name
Veazey
Derived from a place name meaning "field of vetches" (a type of legume) in Old English.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,301 Americans carry the last name Veazey. That puts it at #14,339 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.67 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 148,959 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Veazey 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 Veazey with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
2.3K
1 in 148,959
Census rank
#14,339
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.0K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,007 bearers of the surname Veazey in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.67 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 14339th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Veazey, the largest self-reported group is White at 85.8%. The next largest groups are Black (6.0%) and Hispanic (4.1%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Veazey
The surname Veazey is believed to have originated in England, specifically in the county of Gloucestershire. It dates back to the late 12th or early 13th century. The name is derived from the Old English words "fæger" meaning fair or beautiful and "ey" meaning an island or a riverbank meadow. Thus, Veazey likely referred to someone who lived near a beautiful island or meadow.
In its earliest recorded forms, the name appeared as Veysey, Veysye, and Veysy. These spellings can be found in various medieval records and documents from Gloucestershire and surrounding areas. The name Veazey itself first appeared in written records in the late 16th century.
One of the earliest recorded bearers of the name was Roger Veysy, who was mentioned in the Pipe Rolls of Gloucestershire in 1221. Another early record is that of William Veysy, who was listed in the Subsidy Rolls of Worcestershire in 1327.
The Veazey surname is also associated with several place names in England, particularly in the counties of Gloucestershire and Worcestershire. These include Veysey's Hill, Veysey's Green, and Veysey's Wood, all of which are likely derived from individuals with the surname Veazey or one of its earlier spellings.
Notable individuals with the surname Veazey throughout history include:
1. John Veazey (c. 1599-1676), an English clergyman and theologian who served as the Rector of St. Peter's Church in Droitwich, Worcestershire.
2. Thomas Veazey (1682-1747), a British Army officer who served in the War of the Spanish Succession and later became the Governor of the Isle of Wight.
3. Elizabeth Veazey (1715-1798), a renowned English botanist and collector of plant specimens, who contributed significantly to the study of flora in the 18th century.
4. William Veazey (1793-1868), an American politician and lawyer who served as a member of the United States House of Representatives from Maryland.
5. James Veazey (1805-1879), an American industrialist and entrepreneur who founded the Veazey Furnace Company, one of the largest iron manufacturers in Pennsylvania during the 19th century.
While the Veazey surname has its roots in England, it has since spread to other parts of the world, particularly through immigration to the United States and other English-speaking countries.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Veazey
Among Census respondents with the surname Veazey, the largest self-reported group is White at 85.8%. The next largest groups are Black (6.0%) and Hispanic (4.1%).
The bar chart below shows how Veazey 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 Veazey surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White85.8% · 1,722
- Black or African American6.0% · 120
- Hispanic or Latino4.1% · 83
- Two or more races3.3% · 66
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 14
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.1% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Veazey
Veazey 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
#13,967
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,159
+8 bearers (+0.4%)
Per 100,000 0.73
Rank movement Down 909 places
2020
#14,339
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,007
-152 bearers (-7.0%)
Per 100,000 0.67
Rank movement Down 372 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #13,058 | 2,151 | 0.80 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #13,967 | 2,159 | 0.73 | +8 bearers (+0.4%) | Down 909 places |
| 2020 | #14,339 | 2,007 | 0.67 | -152 bearers (-7.0%) | Down 372 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 Veazey 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 | #13,967 | #14,339 | -2.7% |
| Count | 2,159 | 2,007 | -7.0% |
| Per 100K | 0.73 | 0.67 | -8.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Veazey bearers went from 2,159 to 2,007 (-7.0% change). The surname moved down 372 positions in the national ranking, going from #13,967 to #14,339.
FAQ
Veazey surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Veazey?
Name Census estimates that about 2,301 living Americans carry the surname Veazey. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 148,959 residents.
How common is Veazey?
Veazey ranks #14,339 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 2,007 people with the surname Veazey. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,301), 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 Veazey.
Has Veazey become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Veazey went from 2,159 recorded bearers to 2,007. That is a decrease of 152 (-7.0%). In the national ranking it fell from #13,967 to #14,339.
What does the Census say about the background of Veazey?
Among Census respondents with the surname Veazey, the largest self-reported group is White at 85.8%. The next largest groups are Black (6.0%) and Hispanic (4.1%). 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 Veazey in the 2020 Census, accounting for 85.8% (1,722 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Veazey appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (85.8%), Black (6.0%), Hispanic (4.1%). 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 Veazey (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 Veazey mean?
Derived from a place name meaning "field of vetches" (a type of legume) 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 Veazey (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 Americans have the surname Veazey?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.