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

Vickers, 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 Vickers surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Vickers in America

Vickers is the 1625th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Vickers surname appeared 22,176 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 8 people would have the surname Vickers.

We can also compare 2010 data for Vickers 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 Vickers

The surname Vickers originated in England during the medieval period, deriving from the ancient Anglo-Saxon word "fic", meaning a farm bailiff or keeper. It was an occupational surname given to someone who oversaw the land and livestock of a medieval estate or manor.

Vickers is believed to have first appeared in records as early as the 13th century, with various spellings such as Viker, Vyker, and Vykar being found in old manuscripts and records from that time. One of the earliest documented instances of the name is in the Pipe Rolls of Yorkshire from 1275, where a William le Viker is mentioned.

The name Vickers can be traced back to several areas within England, particularly the northern counties of Yorkshire, Lancashire, and Westmorland, where the occupation of farm bailiff was common. Over time, as the name spread, it also became associated with certain place names, such as Vicar's Cross in Cheshire and Vicar's Hill in Hertfordshire.

In the Domesday Book of 1086, a comprehensive record of landowners and tenants in England, there are no direct references to the surname Vickers. However, variations of the name, such as Vicar and Vikere, are listed, suggesting that the occupation and name were already in use at that time.

Notable historical figures with the surname Vickers include:

1. John Vickers (1587-1663), an English Puritan minister and author.
2. Thomas Vickers (1733-1784), an English clockmaker and inventor known for his work on the marine chronometer.
3. Frances Vickers (1785-1868), an English novelist and poet.
4. William Vickers (1839-1923), an English industrialist and founder of the Vickers armaments company.
5. Geoffrey Vickers (1894-1982), an English philosopher and systems theorist.

Throughout history, the surname Vickers has been associated with various professions, from clergymen and writers to industrialists and philosophers, reflecting the diverse backgrounds and contributions of those who bore this name.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Vickers

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

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

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

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