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

Vestal, 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 Vestal surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Vestal in America

Vestal is the 6108th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Vestal surname appeared 5,614 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 2 people would have the surname Vestal.

We can also compare 2010 data for Vestal 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 Vestal

The surname Vestal originated in England during the late 12th century. It derived from the Old English word "vest" or "veste," which meant a garment or a robe. The name likely referred to someone who made or sold vestments, such as a tailor or clothier.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the Vestal surname appeared in the Pipe Rolls of Yorkshire in 1194, where a Richard Vestal was mentioned. The name was also found in various other medieval records, including the Hundred Rolls of Oxfordshire in 1279, which listed a Roger le Vestiar.

In the 14th century, the Vestal surname was particularly prevalent in the counties of Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire. A notable early bearer of the name was John Vestal, a landowner in Oxfordshire who was mentioned in the Lay Subsidy Rolls of 1334.

During the 16th and 17th centuries, the Vestal surname began to spread across England, with several variations in spelling, including Vestall, Vestell, and Vestill. One notable figure from this era was William Vestal, a merchant and member of the Worshipful Company of Mercers in London, born in 1568 and died in 1642.

In the 18th century, the Vestal family established themselves in the town of Bournemouth, Dorset. A prominent member of this family was Thomas Vestal (1702-1783), who served as the town's mayor and was instrumental in the development of the local fishing industry.

Another notable Vestal was Sir Francis Vestal (1765-1842), a British naval officer who played a crucial role in several battles during the Napoleonic Wars. He was knighted for his bravery and distinguished service in 1815.

As the Vestal surname spread further across England, it also found its way to other parts of the British Isles and eventually to the American colonies in the 17th and 18th centuries. Some of the earliest recorded instances of the name in America include John Vestal, who arrived in Virginia in 1635, and Thomas Vestal, who settled in Maryland in 1665.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Vestal

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

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

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

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