2000
#2,904
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 11,368
First available Census row
Per 100,000 4.21
Uncommon Last name
Vest
An occupational surname for a person who made or sold clothing, particularly waistcoats or undershirts.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 12,258 Americans carry the last name Vest. That puts it at #3,302 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 3.58 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 27,962 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Vest 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.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Vest with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
12K
1 in 27,962
Census rank
#3,302
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
3.6
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
11K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 10,690 bearers of the surname Vest in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 3.58 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 3302nd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Vest, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.5%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.1%) and Hispanic (3.1%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Vest
The surname Vest has its origins in Germany and can be traced back to the 13th century. It is derived from the Middle High German word "vest," which means "firm" or "solid." This suggests that the name may have been initially used as a descriptive nickname for someone who was strong or steadfast.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Vest can be found in the Codex Diplomaticus Brandenburgensis, a collection of historical documents from the region of Brandenburg, where a person named Henricus Vest was mentioned in 1290.
In the 14th century, the name appears in various records from the German states of Saxony and Bavaria. For instance, a certain Cunradus Vest was listed as a resident of Leipzig in 1342, while a Johanne Vest was recorded in the town of Augsburg in 1378.
Throughout the Middle Ages, the surname Vest was predominantly found in central and southern Germany, particularly in the regions of Franconia, Swabia, and Bavaria. It is believed that the name may have originated in one of these areas before spreading to other parts of the country.
Notable individuals with the surname Vest include Johann Vest (1492-1561), a German theologian and reformer who was a supporter of Martin Luther and played a significant role in the Protestant Reformation. Another person of historical interest is Christoph Vest (1630-1696), a German architect who designed several churches and public buildings in the city of Bamberg.
In the 19th century, the name Vest was also found in Austria, where a notable figure was Johann Vest (1815-1888), an Austrian politician and lawyer who served as the Minister of Justice for the Austro-Hungarian Empire.
Other individuals bearing the surname Vest include Hans Vest (1877-1962), a German painter and illustrator known for his landscapes and book illustrations, and Walter Vest (1915-2002), a German composer and conductor who was particularly renowned for his choral works.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Vest
Among Census respondents with the surname Vest, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.5%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.1%) and Hispanic (3.1%).
The bar chart below shows how Vest 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 Vest surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White88.5% · 9,463
- Two or more races4.1% · 440
- Hispanic or Latino3.1% · 329
- Black or African American3.0% · 319
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.9% · 94
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.4% · 45
Timeline
Historical Census data for Vest
Vest 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
#3,164
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 11,405
+37 bearers (+0.3%)
Per 100,000 3.87
Rank movement Down 260 places
2020
#3,302
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 10,690
-715 bearers (-6.3%)
Per 100,000 3.58
Rank movement Down 138 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #2,904 | 11,368 | 4.21 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #3,164 | 11,405 | 3.87 | +37 bearers (+0.3%) | Down 260 places |
| 2020 | #3,302 | 10,690 | 3.58 | -715 bearers (-6.3%) | Down 138 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 Vest 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 | #3,164 | #3,302 | -4.4% |
| Count | 11,405 | 10,690 | -6.3% |
| Per 100K | 3.87 | 3.58 | -7.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Vest bearers went from 11,405 to 10,690 (-6.3% change). The surname moved down 138 positions in the national ranking, going from #3,164 to #3,302.
FAQ
Vest surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Vest?
Name Census estimates that about 12,258 living Americans carry the surname Vest. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 27,962 residents.
How common is Vest?
Vest ranks #3,302 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 3.58 per 100,000 residents, which is about 4 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 10,690 people with the surname Vest. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (12,258), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 3.58 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 3.58 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 4 of them to have the surname Vest.
Has Vest become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Vest went from 11,405 recorded bearers to 10,690. That is a decrease of 715 (-6.3%). In the national ranking it fell from #3,164 to #3,302.
What does the Census say about the background of Vest?
Among Census respondents with the surname Vest, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.5%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.1%) and Hispanic (3.1%). 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?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Vest in the 2020 Census, accounting for 88.5% (9,463 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Vest appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (88.5%), Two or More Races (4.1%), Hispanic (3.1%). 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 Vest (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 Vest mean?
An occupational surname for a person who made or sold clothing, particularly waistcoats or undershirts. 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 Vest (3.58 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 Americans have the surname Vest?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.