2000
#13,806
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,010
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.75
Rare Last name
Veith
A German and Jewish (Ashkenazic) surname derived from the personal name Veit, referring to Saint Vitus.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,340 Americans carry the last name Veith. That puts it at #14,125 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.68 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 146,476 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Veith 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 146,476
Census rank
#14,125
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.0K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,041 bearers of the surname Veith in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.68 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 14125th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Veith, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.4%) and Two or More Races (2.4%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Veith
The surname Veith is of German origin, with roots dating back to the Middle Ages. It is believed to have derived from the Old High German word "fidu," meaning "livestock" or "cattle." This connection suggests that the name may have originally referred to individuals involved in livestock farming or herding.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Veith can be found in the Codex Traditionum Monasterii Sancti Petri Salisburgensis, a 9th-century manuscript from the Archbishopric of Salzburg. This document mentions a person named "Veidho," which is likely an early variation of the surname.
During the 13th century, the name appeared in various records and documents across Germany, often associated with rural areas or villages. For example, in 1268, a "Conradus Veith" is mentioned in the records of the town of Worms, located in the present-day state of Rhineland-Palatinate.
Interestingly, there are also connections between the surname Veith and certain place names in Germany. The village of Veitshöchheim, near the city of Würzburg in Bavaria, is believed to have derived its name from a person named "Veit" or "Veith," potentially indicating an early association with the surname.
One notable individual bearing the surname Veith was Johann Veith (1640-1718), a German Catholic theologian and professor at the University of Freiburg. Another was Johann Emanuel Veith (1788-1876), an Austrian painter and engraver known for his landscapes and religious works.
Other historical figures with the surname Veith include:
1. Friedrich Veith (1813-1890), a German writer and journalist from Saxony.
2. Johann Veith (1640-1718), a German Catholic theologian and professor at the University of Freiburg.
3. Franz Veith (1822-1886), an Austrian ophthalmologist and author of several medical textbooks.
4. Rudolf Veith (1846-1908), an Austrian painter known for his landscapes and genre scenes.
5. Johann Georg Veith (1763-1831), a German-born Austrian architect and builder active in the late 18th and early 19th centuries.
While the surname Veith is most commonly found in Germany and Austria, it has also spread to other regions due to migration and immigration patterns over the centuries.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Veith
Among Census respondents with the surname Veith, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.4%) and Two or More Races (2.4%).
The bar chart below shows how Veith 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 Veith surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White92.4% · 1,885
- Hispanic or Latino4.4% · 90
- Two or more races2.4% · 48
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.4% · 9
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 5
- Black or African American0.2% · 4
Timeline
Historical Census data for Veith
Veith 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
#14,096
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,132
+122 bearers (+6.1%)
Per 100,000 0.72
Rank movement Down 290 places
2020
#14,125
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,041
-91 bearers (-4.3%)
Per 100,000 0.68
Rank movement Down 29 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #13,806 | 2,010 | 0.75 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #14,096 | 2,132 | 0.72 | +122 bearers (+6.1%) | Down 290 places |
| 2020 | #14,125 | 2,041 | 0.68 | -91 bearers (-4.3%) | Down 29 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 Veith 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 | #14,096 | #14,125 | -0.2% |
| Count | 2,132 | 2,041 | -4.3% |
| Per 100K | 0.72 | 0.68 | -5.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Veith bearers went from 2,132 to 2,041 (-4.3% change). The surname moved down 29 positions in the national ranking, going from #14,096 to #14,125.
FAQ
Veith surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Veith?
Name Census estimates that about 2,340 living Americans carry the surname Veith. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 146,476 residents.
How common is Veith?
Veith ranks #14,125 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.68 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 2,041 people with the surname Veith. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,340), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.68 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.68 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 Veith.
Has Veith become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Veith went from 2,132 recorded bearers to 2,041. That is a decrease of 91 (-4.3%). In the national ranking it fell from #14,096 to #14,125.
What does the Census say about the background of Veith?
Among Census respondents with the surname Veith, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.4%) and Two or More Races (2.4%). 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 Veith in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.4% (1,885 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Veith appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (92.4%), Hispanic (4.4%), Two or More Races (2.4%). 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 Veith (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 Veith mean?
A German and Jewish (Ashkenazic) surname derived from the personal name Veit, referring to Saint Vitus. 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 Veith (0.68 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 surname Veith?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.