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

Vessell, 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 Vessell surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Vessell in America

Vessell is the 40204th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Vessell surname appeared 545 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 Vessell.

We can also compare 2010 data for Vessell 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 Vessell

The surname Vessell is of English origin, derived from the Old English word "vessel," which means a container or receptacle used for holding liquids. This name likely emerged during the medieval period in England, possibly as an occupational surname for someone who made or sold vessels or containers.

The earliest recorded instance of the surname Vessell can be traced back to the 13th century in the county of Norfolk, England. In the Hundred Rolls of 1273, a record of landowners and their holdings, a person named John Vessel is mentioned as residing in the village of Fakenham.

During the 14th century, the surname appears in various historical records, including the Poll Tax Returns of 1379, where a William Vessell is listed as a resident of the village of Stoke Dry in Rutland, England.

In the 15th century, the surname Vessell is found in the Paston Letters, a collection of correspondence between members of the Paston family, prominent landowners in Norfolk. One of the letters, dated 1472, mentions a John Vessell who was involved in a legal dispute over property rights.

The surname Vessell has also been associated with several notable individuals throughout history. One such person was Sir John Vessell (c. 1540-1616), an English merchant and member of the Worshipful Company of Mercers in London. He served as an alderman and sheriff of the City of London during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I.

Another prominent figure with the surname Vessell was Robert Vessell (1592-1667), an English clergyman and academic who served as the Master of Emmanuel College, Cambridge, from 1636 to 1667.

In the 18th century, a notable bearer of the name was William Vessell (1720-1798), an English naval officer and explorer who served as a captain in the Royal Navy and participated in several voyages to the West Indies and the Pacific Ocean.

The surname Vessell has also been associated with several places in England. For example, there is a hamlet called Vessells in the county of Gloucestershire, which likely derived its name from the presence of families with the Vessell surname in the area.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Vessell

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

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 Vessell 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 Vessell 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 Vessell was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

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

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