2000
#124,109
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 128
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.05
Very Rare Last name
Vecsey
A surname of Hungarian origin, derived from the name of a town or village.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 139 Americans carry the last name Vecsey. That puts it at #141,309 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,465,859 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Vecsey 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
139
1 in 2,465,859
Census rank
#141,309
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
121
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 121 bearers of the surname Vecsey in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 141309th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Vecsey, the largest self-reported group is White at 98.3%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (1.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Vecsey
The surname Vecsey has its origins in Hungary, dating back to the 9th century. It is derived from the Hungarian word "vecse," which means "vetch" or a type of wild pea plant. This suggests that the name may have initially referred to someone who cultivated or lived near fields of vetch plants.
During the Middle Ages, the Vecsey family was a prominent noble family in the Kingdom of Hungary. One notable member was György Vecsey, who served as the Palatine of Hungary (the highest-ranking official after the king) in the late 13th century.
The name Vecsey can be found in several historical records and documents from medieval Hungary, including charters and land grants issued by the Hungarian kings. One of the earliest recorded instances of the name appears in a charter from 1274, which mentions a nobleman named Petrus Vecsey.
In the 15th century, a branch of the Vecsey family settled in the region of Transylvania (now part of Romania). One of the earliest known members of this branch was János Vecsey, who was born around 1420 and served as a military commander during the conflicts between Hungary and the Ottoman Empire.
Over the centuries, the spelling of the name has varied slightly, with variants such as Vecsey, Vecsei, and Vecseji being used in different regions and time periods. However, the core root of the name, "vecse," has remained consistent.
Other notable individuals with the surname Vecsey include:
1. Mihály Vecsey (1619-1694), a Hungarian nobleman and military leader who fought against the Ottoman Empire.
2. Károly Vecsey (1804-1849), a Hungarian politician and revolutionary who participated in the Hungarian Revolution of 1848-1849.
3. Sándor Vecsey (1839-1920), a Hungarian writer and poet who was known for his works celebrating the beauty of the Hungarian landscape.
4. Zoltán Vecsey (1892-1945), a Hungarian painter and graphic artist who was a prominent figure in the Hungarian avant-garde movement.
5. József Vecsey (1932-2009), a Hungarian-born American mathematician and computer scientist who made significant contributions to the field of numerical analysis.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Vecsey
Among Census respondents with the surname Vecsey, the largest self-reported group is White at 98.3%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (1.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Vecsey 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 Vecsey surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White98.3% · 119
- Two or more races1.7% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Vecsey
Vecsey 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
#137,327
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 122
-6 bearers (-4.7%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 13,218 places
2020
#141,309
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 121
-1 bearers (-0.8%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 3,982 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #124,109 | 128 | 0.05 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #137,327 | 122 | 0.04 | -6 bearers (-4.7%) | Down 13,218 places |
| 2020 | #141,309 | 121 | 0.04 | -1 bearers (-0.8%) | Down 3,982 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 Vecsey 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 | #137,327 | #141,309 | -2.9% |
| Count | 122 | 121 | -0.8% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | 1.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Vecsey bearers went from 122 to 121 (-0.8% change). The surname moved down 3,982 positions in the national ranking, going from #137,327 to #141,309.
FAQ
Vecsey surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Vecsey?
Name Census estimates that about 139 living Americans carry the surname Vecsey. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,465,859 residents.
How common is Vecsey?
Vecsey ranks #141,309 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 121 people with the surname Vecsey. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (139), 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 Vecsey.
Has Vecsey become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Vecsey went from 122 recorded bearers to 121. That is a decrease of 1 (-0.8%). In the national ranking it fell from #137,327 to #141,309.
What does the Census say about the background of Vecsey?
Among Census respondents with the surname Vecsey, the largest self-reported group is White at 98.3%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (1.7%). 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 Vecsey in the 2020 Census, accounting for 98.3% (119 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Vecsey appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (98.3%), Two or More Races (1.7%). 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 Vecsey (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 Vecsey mean?
A surname of Hungarian origin, derived from the name of a town or village. 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 Vecsey (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 people have the last name Vecsey?
For a quick modern take, check how many people have the surname Vecsey on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org.