Find out how popular the last name Velis is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Velis.

Velis, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Velis surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Velis in America

Velis is the 31001st most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Velis surname appeared 749 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 people would have the surname Velis.

We can also compare 2010 data for Velis to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name Velis

The surname VELIS originated in Lithuania, with its earliest recorded examples dating back to the 16th century. It is derived from the Lithuanian word "velis," which means "deceased" or "departed soul." This name likely referred to a person who worked in a cemetery or had a connection to the spiritual realm.

In the 17th century, the VELIS surname appeared in various Lithuanian parish records, particularly in the regions of Kaunas and Vilnius. One notable early bearer of this name was Jonas VELIS, a farmer born in 1624 in the village of Panevėžys.

During the 19th century, the VELIS surname spread beyond Lithuania, with some bearers migrating to neighboring countries like Poland and Russia. In 1842, a Polish document mentioned a certain Tomasz VELIS, a merchant from the city of Lublin.

The earliest known record of the VELIS surname outside of Eastern Europe dates back to 1879, when a man named Antanas VELIS emigrated from Lithuania to the United States, settling in the city of Chicago.

Notable individuals with the VELIS surname throughout history include:

1. Juozas VELIS (1875-1942), a Lithuanian painter and art teacher known for his landscape and portrait works.
2. Vytautas VELIS (1908-1993), a Lithuanian-American engineer who contributed significantly to the development of early computer systems at IBM.
3. Marija VELIS (1913-2003), a Lithuanian writer and poet whose works often explored themes of nature, spirituality, and the human condition.
4. Algirdas VELIS (1928-2015), a renowned Lithuanian architect responsible for designing several iconic buildings in Vilnius, including the National Drama Theatre.
5. Rasa VELIS (born 1972), a contemporary Lithuanian artist known for her multimedia installations and performances exploring themes of identity, memory, and cultural heritage.

While the VELIS surname remains relatively uncommon outside of Lithuania, it holds a rich historical significance and continues to be associated with various artistic and intellectual pursuits in the Baltic region.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Velis

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Velis.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Velis was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Velis has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Velis was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Velis, please contact us.

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