2000
#9,064
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,316
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.23
Rare Last name
Vereen
Derived from a Dutch surname meaning "from the ferry," referring to someone who lived near or operated a ferry.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 4,063 Americans carry the last name Vereen. That puts it at #8,872 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.19 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 84,360 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Vereen 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
4.1K
1 in 84,360
Census rank
#8,872
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.2
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
3.5K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 3,543 bearers of the surname Vereen in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.19 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 8872nd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Vereen, the largest self-reported group is Black at 72.5%. The next largest groups are White (19.2%) and Two or More Races (5.1%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Vereen
The surname Vereen is of French origin, with roots tracing back to the medieval period. It is derived from the Old French word "verin," which means "true" or "genuine." The name may have been initially used as a descriptive term to refer to someone who was perceived as truthful or trustworthy.
The earliest recorded instances of the Vereen surname can be found in various historical documents from the 13th and 14th centuries in the northern regions of France, particularly in the provinces of Normandy and Picardy. Some variations in spelling, such as Veryn, Verein, and Vereyn, were common during that time.
In the Domesday Book, a renowned manuscript compiled in 1086 by William the Conqueror, there are no direct references to the Vereen surname. However, it is possible that some of the entries with similar-sounding names, such as Verin or Veryn, may have been early precursors to the modern Vereen spelling.
Notably, one of the earliest recorded individuals with the Vereen surname was Jean Vereen, a French nobleman who lived in the 14th century. He was a prominent figure in the court of King Charles V of France and was known for his military prowess and loyalty to the crown.
Another historical figure of note was Philippe Vereen, a French explorer and navigator who lived in the late 16th century. He is credited with undertaking several expeditions to the Americas and contributing to the mapping of the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean region.
In the 17th century, a branch of the Vereen family settled in the English colony of Virginia, likely as a result of the migration of French Huguenots fleeing religious persecution. One of the earliest recorded Vereens in the American colonies was Pierre Vereen, who arrived in Virginia in the 1620s and established a successful tobacco plantation.
During the American Revolutionary War, a prominent figure named Jacques Vereen served as a captain in the Continental Army. He was known for his bravery and leadership in several key battles against the British forces.
In the 19th century, the Vereen surname gained further recognition with the birth of Amos Vereen, an American author and poet who was born in South Carolina in 1826. His works, which often explored themes of nature and the Southern way of life, were widely celebrated during his lifetime.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Vereen
Among Census respondents with the surname Vereen, the largest self-reported group is Black at 72.5%. The next largest groups are White (19.2%) and Two or More Races (5.1%).
The bar chart below shows how Vereen 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 Vereen surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Black or African American72.5% · 2,567
- White19.2% · 682
- Two or more races5.1% · 179
- Hispanic or Latino2.8% · 100
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.2% · 8
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 7
Timeline
Historical Census data for Vereen
Vereen 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
#8,890
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,683
+367 bearers (+11.1%)
Per 100,000 1.25
Rank movement Up 174 places
2020
#8,872
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,543
-140 bearers (-3.8%)
Per 100,000 1.19
Rank movement Up 18 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #9,064 | 3,316 | 1.23 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #8,890 | 3,683 | 1.25 | +367 bearers (+11.1%) | Up 174 places |
| 2020 | #8,872 | 3,543 | 1.19 | -140 bearers (-3.8%) | Up 18 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 Vereen 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 | #8,890 | #8,872 | 0.2% |
| Count | 3,683 | 3,543 | -3.8% |
| Per 100K | 1.25 | 1.19 | -5.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Vereen bearers went from 3,683 to 3,543 (-3.8% change). The surname moved up 18 positions in the national ranking, going from #8,890 to #8,872.
FAQ
Vereen surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Vereen?
Name Census estimates that about 4,063 living Americans carry the surname Vereen. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 84,360 residents.
How common is Vereen?
Vereen ranks #8,872 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.19 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 3,543 people with the surname Vereen. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (4,063), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.19 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.19 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 Vereen.
Has Vereen become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Vereen went from 3,683 recorded bearers to 3,543. That is a decrease of 140 (-3.8%). In the national ranking it rose from #8,890 to #8,872.
What does the Census say about the background of Vereen?
Among Census respondents with the surname Vereen, the largest self-reported group is Black at 72.5%. The next largest groups are White (19.2%) and Two or More Races (5.1%). 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?
Black is the largest self-reported group for the surname Vereen in the 2020 Census, accounting for 72.5% (2,567 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Vereen appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Black (72.5%), White (19.2%), Two or More Races (5.1%). 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 Vereen (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 Vereen mean?
Derived from a Dutch surname meaning "from the ferry," referring to someone who lived near or operated a ferry. 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 Vereen (1.19 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 Vereen?
Our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers how many Americans have the surname Vereen at a glance, with the living-bearer count up front.