2000
#10,570
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,786
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.03
Rare Last name
Vidales
A Spanish toponymic surname indicating someone from any of the various places named Vidal or Vidales.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 3,997 Americans carry the last name Vidales. That puts it at #9,008 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.17 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 85,753 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Vidales 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.
Bearers in the US
4.0K
1 in 85,753
Census rank
#9,008
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.2
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
3.5K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 3,486 bearers of the surname Vidales in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.17 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 9008th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Vidales, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 93.9%. The next largest groups are White (4.2%) and Black (1.3%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Vidales
The surname Vidales is believed to have originated in Spain, derived from the Latin word "vida," meaning "life." It is thought to have first emerged during the medieval period, around the 12th or 13th century.
The name was initially concentrated in the regions of Castile and Andalusia, where it was often associated with individuals who lived near vineyards or worked in the wine-making industry. Some scholars suggest that the name may have evolved from the Latin word "vidalia," referring to vines or vineyards.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the Vidales surname can be found in the Libro de Repartimiento de Sevilla, a historical document dating back to the 13th century, which recorded the distribution of land and properties among the Christian settlers after the Reconquista of Seville in 1248. This document mentions several individuals with the surname Vidales.
In the 15th century, a notable figure named Pedro Vidales was a prominent merchant and landowner in the city of Seville. He was known for his successful trading ventures and his involvement in local politics.
During the 16th century, Juan Vidales (1520-1588) was a renowned Spanish painter and sculptor, known for his religious artwork and contributions to the Renaissance art movement in Spain.
In the 17th century, Fray Alonso Vidales (1612-1677) was a Spanish friar and theologian who served as a missionary in the Americas. He was recognized for his efforts in evangelizing and educating the indigenous populations in the Spanish colonies.
Another notable figure was María Vidales (1785-1848), a Spanish poet and writer who gained acclaim for her romantic poetry and her contributions to the literary circles of her time.
Throughout history, the Vidales surname has also been associated with various place names and alternate spellings. For example, the town of Vidales in the province of Soria, Spain, likely derived its name from the surname. Additionally, variations such as Vidalles, Vidallas, and Vidalas have been recorded in historical documents.
While the exact origins of the Vidales surname remain a subject of scholarly debate, its rich history and prevalence across different regions of Spain have cemented its place in the tapestry of Spanish genealogy and cultural heritage.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Vidales
Among Census respondents with the surname Vidales, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 93.9%. The next largest groups are White (4.2%) and Black (1.3%).
The bar chart below shows how Vidales 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 Vidales surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Hispanic or Latino93.9% · 3,272
- White4.2% · 148
- Black or African American1.3% · 46
- Two or more races0.2% · 8
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.2% · 7
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.1% · 5
Timeline
Historical Census data for Vidales
Vidales 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
#8,697
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,774
+988 bearers (+35.5%)
Per 100,000 1.28
Rank movement Up 1,873 places
2020
#9,008
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,486
-288 bearers (-7.6%)
Per 100,000 1.17
Rank movement Down 311 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #10,570 | 2,786 | 1.03 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #8,697 | 3,774 | 1.28 | +988 bearers (+35.5%) | Up 1,873 places |
| 2020 | #9,008 | 3,486 | 1.17 | -288 bearers (-7.6%) | Down 311 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 Vidales 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 | #8,697 | #9,008 | -3.6% |
| Count | 3,774 | 3,486 | -7.6% |
| Per 100K | 1.28 | 1.17 | -8.9% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Vidales bearers went from 3,774 to 3,486 (-7.6% change). The surname moved down 311 positions in the national ranking, going from #8,697 to #9,008.
FAQ
Vidales surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Vidales?
Name Census estimates that about 3,997 living Americans carry the surname Vidales. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 85,753 residents.
How common is Vidales?
Vidales ranks #9,008 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.17 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 3,486 people with the surname Vidales. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (3,997), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.17 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.17 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Vidales.
Has Vidales become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Vidales went from 3,774 recorded bearers to 3,486. That is a decrease of 288 (-7.6%). In the national ranking it fell from #8,697 to #9,008.
What does the Census say about the background of Vidales?
Among Census respondents with the surname Vidales, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 93.9%. The next largest groups are White (4.2%) and Black (1.3%). 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 Vidales in the 2020 Census, accounting for 93.9% (3,272 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Vidales appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Hispanic (93.9%), White (4.2%), Black (1.3%). 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 Vidales (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 Vidales mean?
A Spanish toponymic surname indicating someone from any of the various places named Vidal or Vidales. 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 Vidales (1.17 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 have the surname Vidales?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.