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

Victory, 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 Victory surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Victory in America

Victory is the 12467th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Victory surname appeared 2,490 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 1 people would have the surname Victory.

We can also compare 2010 data for Victory 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 Victory

The surname Victory is an English toponymic name derived from the Old French word 'victorie', meaning 'victory'. It is believed to have originated in the county of Buckinghamshire, England, during the 12th century.

The earliest recorded instance of the name Victory can be traced back to the Hundred Rolls of 1273, which lists a Robert de Victorie in Buckinghamshire. This suggests that the name may have been adopted by a person or family who lived near a place associated with a significant victory or battle.

In the 14th century, the name appeared in various forms, such as Vytry, Vytrie, and Vytory, reflecting the regional dialects and spelling variations of the time. One notable bearer of the name was John de Vytry, a 14th-century landowner from Warwickshire.

During the 16th and 17th centuries, the surname gained wider recognition, with several notable individuals bearing the name. Thomas Victory (1545-1619) was an English merchant and explorer who established trading posts in Persia and India. Another prominent figure was Sir Samuel Victory (1579-1648), a member of Parliament and supporter of the Parliamentarian cause during the English Civil War.

In the 18th century, the name Victory became closely associated with the British Royal Navy. Admiral Sir John Victory (1719-1792) was a highly decorated naval officer who served in the Seven Years' War and the American Revolutionary War. His most famous victory came in 1780 when he defeated a Spanish fleet off Cape St. Vincent.

Perhaps the most renowned bearer of the surname was Admiral Lord Horatio Nelson (1758-1805), whose victory at the Battle of Trafalgar in 1805 cemented his place in naval history. Although Nelson's birth name was not Victory, his famous flagship was named HMS Victory, and the name became synonymous with his legendary exploits.

Other notable individuals with the surname Victory include William Victory (1805-1888), an English artist and engraver known for his illustrations of literary works, and Sir Ralph Victory (1884-1964), a British diplomat who served as Ambassador to Spain during World War II.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Victory

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

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

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

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