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

Vian, 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 Vian surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Vian in America

Vian is the 34618th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Vian surname appeared 653 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 Vian.

We can also compare 2010 data for Vian 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 Vian

The surname VIAN is believed to have originated in France during the 12th century. It is likely derived from the Old French word "viande", meaning "meat" or "flesh". This suggests that the name may have originally been an occupational surname for a butcher or someone involved in the meat trade.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name VIAN can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, where it appears as "Vienne". This early spelling variation suggests a possible connection to the city of Vienne in southeastern France.

During the Middle Ages, the VIAN name was most prevalent in the regions of Burgundy and Franche-Comté in eastern France. Records from this period show variations in spelling, such as Viane, Vyen, and Vianne.

Notable individuals with the surname VIAN include:

1. Jacques Vian (c. 1400-1470), a French nobleman and military commander who served under King Charles VII during the Hundred Years' War.
2. Étienne Vian (1537-1612), a French philosopher and scholar who taught at the University of Paris and wrote extensively on logic and metaphysics.
3. Gabrielle Vian (1677-1744), a French botanist and one of the first women to be elected to the prestigious Académie des Sciences in Paris.
4. Jean-Baptiste Vian (1786-1861), a French architect and urban planner who designed several landmark buildings in Marseille and Lyon.
5. Boris Vian (1920-1959), a prolific French writer, poet, and musician who was a prominent figure in the avant-garde literary scene of post-World War II Paris.

The surname VIAN has also been associated with various place names throughout France, such as Vians in the Côte-d'Or region and Viane in the Tarn-et-Garonne department. These place names may have influenced the spelling and distribution of the surname over time.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Vian

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

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

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

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