2000
#5,956
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,323
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.97
Rare Last name
Vermillion
A surname derived from the brilliant red color, likely referring to someone with red hair or a ruddy complexion.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 5,978 Americans carry the last name Vermillion. That puts it at #6,278 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.74 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 57,336 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Vermillion 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
6.0K
1 in 57,336
Census rank
#6,278
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
5.2K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 5,213 bearers of the surname Vermillion in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.74 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 6278th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Vermillion, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.1%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.3%) and Hispanic (3.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Vermillion
The surname Vermillion is a French name that originated in the Middle Ages. It is derived from the Old French word vermeil, which means "bright red" or "crimson." This color reference likely came from the pigment vermilion, a brilliant red mineral pigment used in painting and dyeing.
The earliest recorded instances of the Vermillion surname date back to the 13th century in France. It is believed to have originated in the region of Normandy, where it may have initially referred to someone who worked with the vermilion pigment, perhaps a painter or dyer.
In the 14th century, the name appeared in various records and manuscripts across France, including the Cartulaire de l'abbaye de Notre-Dame de Lyre, a cartulary from the Notre-Dame de Lyre abbey in Normandy. This document, dated 1359, mentions a certain Robert Vermillion, likely one of the earliest known bearers of the surname.
By the 15th century, the Vermillion surname had spread to other parts of Europe. In 1487, a man named Jean Vermillion was recorded in the archives of the city of Bruges, in modern-day Belgium.
One notable bearer of the Vermillion surname was Jean-Baptiste Vermillion (1670-1737), a French painter and engraver known for his portraits and religious works. He was born in Lyon and studied in Paris under the renowned painter Charles Le Brun.
Another significant figure was Antoine Vermillion (1699-1782), a French historian and author who wrote several books on the history of Normandy and Brittany. He was born in Rouen and spent much of his life studying and documenting the region's rich history.
In England, the Vermillion surname can be traced back to the 16th century. One of the earliest recorded bearers was William Vermillion, who was mentioned in the parish records of St. Michael's Church in Coventry in 1592.
A notable English bearer of the Vermillion surname was Sir William Vermillion (1628-1701), a wealthy merchant and politician who served as Lord Mayor of London in 1676. He was born in London and made his fortune through international trade.
Across the Atlantic, the Vermillion surname also took root in the Americas during the colonial era. One of the earliest known bearers was Jean-Baptiste Vermillion (1712-1784), a French-Canadian fur trader and explorer who was active in the Great Lakes region and the Mississippi Valley.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Vermillion
Among Census respondents with the surname Vermillion, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.1%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.3%) and Hispanic (3.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Vermillion 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 Vermillion surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White89.1% · 4,644
- Two or more races4.3% · 223
- Hispanic or Latino3.5% · 185
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.6% · 84
- Black or African American0.8% · 41
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 36
Timeline
Historical Census data for Vermillion
Vermillion 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
#6,271
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,449
+126 bearers (+2.4%)
Per 100,000 1.85
Rank movement Down 315 places
2020
#6,278
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,213
-236 bearers (-4.3%)
Per 100,000 1.74
Rank movement Down 7 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #5,956 | 5,323 | 1.97 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #6,271 | 5,449 | 1.85 | +126 bearers (+2.4%) | Down 315 places |
| 2020 | #6,278 | 5,213 | 1.74 | -236 bearers (-4.3%) | Down 7 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 Vermillion 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 | #6,271 | #6,278 | -0.1% |
| Count | 5,449 | 5,213 | -4.3% |
| Per 100K | 1.85 | 1.74 | -5.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Vermillion bearers went from 5,449 to 5,213 (-4.3% change). The surname moved down 7 positions in the national ranking, going from #6,271 to #6,278.
FAQ
Vermillion surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Vermillion?
Name Census estimates that about 5,978 living Americans carry the surname Vermillion. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 57,336 residents.
How common is Vermillion?
Vermillion ranks #6,278 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.74 per 100,000 residents, which is about 2 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 5,213 people with the surname Vermillion. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (5,978), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.74 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.74 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 2 of them to have the surname Vermillion.
Has Vermillion become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Vermillion went from 5,449 recorded bearers to 5,213. That is a decrease of 236 (-4.3%). In the national ranking it fell from #6,271 to #6,278.
What does the Census say about the background of Vermillion?
Among Census respondents with the surname Vermillion, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.1%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.3%) and Hispanic (3.5%). 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 Vermillion in the 2020 Census, accounting for 89.1% (4,644 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Vermillion appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (89.1%), Two or More Races (4.3%), Hispanic (3.5%). 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 Vermillion (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 Vermillion mean?
A surname derived from the brilliant red color, likely referring to someone with red hair or a ruddy complexion. 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 Vermillion (1.74 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 Vermillion?
Find out how many people are called Vermillion on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.