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

Vidal, 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 Vidal surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Vidal in America

Vidal is the 1933rd most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Vidal surname appeared 18,677 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 6 people would have the surname Vidal.

We can also compare 2010 data for Vidal 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 Vidal

The surname Vidal has its origins in Spain, where it was derived from the Latin word 'vitalis', meaning 'life' or 'lively'. It likely emerged as a surname during the medieval period in Spain, possibly as early as the 11th or 12th century.

The name was particularly prevalent in the regions of Catalonia and Valencia in eastern Spain. Some of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in medieval Catalan documents and records from these areas.

One of the earliest known bearers of the surname was Ramon Vidal de Besalú, a Catalan troubadour who lived in the late 12th and early 13th centuries. He was renowned for his poetic works and is considered one of the most important figures in the development of Occitan literature.

Another notable figure with the surname was Miguel Vidal y Cuadras, a Spanish painter born in Barcelona in 1742. He was known for his religious and historical paintings, and his works can be found in various churches and museums throughout Spain.

In the 16th century, the name appears in records from the town of Vidal de Sabugo, located in the province of Ávila, suggesting a possible connection between the surname and this place name.

The Vidal surname also has a presence in France, particularly in the southern regions, where it may have been introduced through Spanish influence or migration. One prominent French bearer of the name was François Vidal, a 17th-century painter and engraver from Toulouse.

Over time, variations of the spelling emerged, such as Vidall, Vidalle, and Vidales, reflecting regional linguistic differences and influences. However, the core meaning and origin of the name remained tied to its Latin roots and Spanish heritage.

Other notable individuals with the Vidal surname include José Vidal-Beneyto, a Spanish sociologist and academic born in 1927, and Joaquín Vidal, a 19th-century Spanish painter known for his landscapes and genre scenes.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Vidal

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

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

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

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