2000
#2,395
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 13,867
First available Census row
Per 100,000 5.14
Uncommon Last name
Vidal
A surname of Spanish origin, derived from the Latin word "vitalis," meaning "life-giving" or "of life."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 21,525 Americans carry the last name Vidal. That puts it at #1,877 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 6.28 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 15,924 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Vidal 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 Vidal with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
22K
1 in 15,924
Census rank
#1,877
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
6.3
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
19K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 18,771 bearers of the surname Vidal in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 6.28 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 1877th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Vidal, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 78.3%. The next largest groups are White (12.7%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (4.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of 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.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Vidal
Among Census respondents with the surname Vidal, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 78.3%. The next largest groups are White (12.7%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (4.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Vidal 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 Vidal surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Hispanic or Latino78.3% · 14,692
- White12.7% · 2,387
- Asian and Pacific Islander4.5% · 843
- Black or African American3.2% · 606
- Two or more races1.2% · 222
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.1% · 21
Timeline
Historical Census data for Vidal
Vidal 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
#1,933
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 18,677
+4,810 bearers (+34.7%)
Per 100,000 6.33
Rank movement Up 462 places
2020
#1,877
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 18,771
+94 bearers (+0.5%)
Per 100,000 6.28
Rank movement Up 56 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #2,395 | 13,867 | 5.14 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #1,933 | 18,677 | 6.33 | +4,810 bearers (+34.7%) | Up 462 places |
| 2020 | #1,877 | 18,771 | 6.28 | +94 bearers (+0.5%) | Up 56 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 Vidal 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 | #1,933 | #1,877 | 2.9% |
| Count | 18,677 | 18,771 | 0.5% |
| Per 100K | 6.33 | 6.28 | -0.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Vidal bearers went from 18,677 to 18,771 (+0.5% change). The surname moved up 56 positions in the national ranking, going from #1,933 to #1,877.
FAQ
Vidal surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Vidal?
Name Census estimates that about 21,525 living Americans carry the surname Vidal. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 15,924 residents.
How common is Vidal?
Vidal ranks #1,877 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 6.28 per 100,000 residents, which is about 6 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 18,771 people with the surname Vidal. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (21,525), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 6.28 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 6.28 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 6 of them to have the surname Vidal.
Has Vidal become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Vidal went from 18,677 recorded bearers to 18,771. That is an increase of 94 (+0.5%). In the national ranking it rose from #1,933 to #1,877.
What does the Census say about the background of Vidal?
Among Census respondents with the surname Vidal, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 78.3%. The next largest groups are White (12.7%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (4.5%). 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?
Hispanic is the largest self-reported group for the surname Vidal in the 2020 Census, accounting for 78.3% (14,692 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Vidal appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Hispanic (78.3%), White (12.7%), Asian/Pacific Islander (4.5%). 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 Vidal (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 Vidal mean?
A surname of Spanish origin, derived from the Latin word "vitalis," meaning "life-giving" or "of life." 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 Vidal (6.28 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 many people share the surname Vidal?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.