2000
#3,664
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 8,907
First available Census row
Per 100,000 3.30
Rare Last name
Vickery
An English occupational surname for a vicar or manager of a church property.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 9,694 Americans carry the last name Vickery. That puts it at #4,075 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 2.83 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 35,357 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Vickery 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 Vickery with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
9.7K
1 in 35,357
Census rank
#4,075
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
2.8
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
8.5K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 8,454 bearers of the surname Vickery in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 2.83 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 4075th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Vickery, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.5%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.8%) and Hispanic (3.1%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Vickery
The surname Vickery is of English origin and can be traced back to the Middle Ages. It is believed to have derived from the Old English words "wic" or "wice," meaning a small settlement or dwelling, and "ery," meaning a place or location. This suggests that the name Vickery initially referred to someone who lived in a small village or hamlet.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Vickery can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, which was a comprehensive survey of land holdings and population in England commissioned by William the Conqueror. The entry refers to a person named "Viccarus" residing in the county of Somerset.
During the 13th century, the name appeared in various records with spellings such as "Vychery," "Vycchery," and "Vycherie." These variations likely reflect the regional dialects and spelling conventions of the time.
The name Vickery may also have connections to certain place names in England. For instance, the village of Wichenford in Worcestershire was once known as "Wichenavera," which could have inspired some variations of the surname.
Notable individuals with the surname Vickery throughout history include:
1. Sir Robert Vickery (1586-1648), an English politician who served as Lord Mayor of London in 1635.
2. John Vickery (1613-1677), an English Puritan minister and author known for his work "The Burning Bush Not Consumed."
3. Martha Vickery (1718-1783), a prominent figure in colonial America who played a role in the founding of the town of Holden, Massachusetts.
4. James Vickery (1779-1856), a British naval officer who served during the Napoleonic Wars and later became a noted author and poet.
5. William Vickery (1816-1893), an English-born Australian politician who served as a member of the New South Wales Legislative Assembly.
While the surname Vickery has endured over the centuries, it remains relatively uncommon compared to other English surnames. Nevertheless, it has left its mark on history, with various individuals bearing this name contributing to various fields, including politics, religion, and literature.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Vickery
Among Census respondents with the surname Vickery, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.5%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.8%) and Hispanic (3.1%).
The bar chart below shows how Vickery 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 Vickery surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White91.5% · 7,738
- Two or more races3.8% · 319
- Hispanic or Latino3.1% · 259
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 49
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.6% · 48
- Black or African American0.5% · 41
Timeline
Historical Census data for Vickery
Vickery 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
#4,005
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 8,874
-33 bearers (-0.4%)
Per 100,000 3.01
Rank movement Down 341 places
2020
#4,075
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 8,454
-420 bearers (-4.7%)
Per 100,000 2.83
Rank movement Down 70 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #3,664 | 8,907 | 3.30 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #4,005 | 8,874 | 3.01 | -33 bearers (-0.4%) | Down 341 places |
| 2020 | #4,075 | 8,454 | 2.83 | -420 bearers (-4.7%) | Down 70 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 Vickery 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 | #4,005 | #4,075 | -1.7% |
| Count | 8,874 | 8,454 | -4.7% |
| Per 100K | 3.01 | 2.83 | -6.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Vickery bearers went from 8,874 to 8,454 (-4.7% change). The surname moved down 70 positions in the national ranking, going from #4,005 to #4,075.
FAQ
Vickery surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Vickery?
Name Census estimates that about 9,694 living Americans carry the surname Vickery. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 35,357 residents.
How common is Vickery?
Vickery ranks #4,075 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 2.83 per 100,000 residents, which is about 3 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 8,454 people with the surname Vickery. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (9,694), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 2.83 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 2.83 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 3 of them to have the surname Vickery.
Has Vickery become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Vickery went from 8,874 recorded bearers to 8,454. That is a decrease of 420 (-4.7%). In the national ranking it fell from #4,005 to #4,075.
What does the Census say about the background of Vickery?
Among Census respondents with the surname Vickery, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.5%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.8%) 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 Vickery in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.5% (7,738 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Vickery appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (91.5%), Two or More Races (3.8%), 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 Vickery (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 Vickery mean?
An English occupational surname for a vicar or manager of a church property. 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 Vickery (2.83 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 common is the surname Vickery?
You can see how many people are called Vickery on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.