2000
#34,949
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 611
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.23
Very Rare Last name
Vieau
A French surname derived from the Old French word "veiel", meaning old.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 804 Americans carry the last name Vieau. That puts it at #34,739 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.23 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 426,311 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Vieau 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
804
1 in 426,311
Census rank
#34,739
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.2
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
701
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 701 bearers of the surname Vieau in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.23 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 34739th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Vieau, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.6%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.4%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (3.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Vieau
The surname VIEAU originates from France, tracing its roots back to the 13th century. It is believed to be derived from the Old French word "viau," which means "calf" or "veal." This suggests that the name may have initially been an occupational surname for someone who worked with calves or cattle.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the VIEAU surname can be found in the archives of the Archbishopric of Rouen, Normandy, dating back to the year 1292. These records mention a certain Jehan Vieau, who was a farmer and landowner in the region.
During the Middle Ages, the VIEAU name was predominantly concentrated in the northern regions of France, particularly in Normandy and Picardy. It is possible that the name may have been associated with some minor noble families or landed gentry in these areas, though historical records are scarce.
In the 16th century, the VIEAU surname appeared in the records of the city of Calais, which was then under English rule. A merchant named Jacques Vieau, born in 1542, was listed as a citizen of Calais during this period.
As France expanded its colonial empire in the 17th and 18th centuries, some individuals bearing the VIEAU surname migrated to the French territories in North America, particularly in the region of modern-day Canada. One notable example is Jacques Vieau, a fur trader and explorer who was born in Montreal in 1705 and played a significant role in the early exploration of the Great Lakes region.
Another notable figure with the VIEAU surname was Pierre Vieau, a French-Canadian voyageur and trader who was born in 1753 and operated in the Great Lakes region. He is known for establishing a trading post near the present-day city of Milwaukee, Wisconsin, in the late 18th century.
In the 19th century, the VIEAU name appears in records from various parts of France, as well as in French communities in Canada and the United States. One example is Louis Vieau, a French-Canadian entrepreneur and landowner who was born in 1786 in Pointe-Claire, Quebec, and later settled in the Green Bay area of Wisconsin.
Other notable individuals with the VIEAU surname include Joseph Vieau, a French-Canadian fur trader and explorer who was active in the Great Lakes region in the early 19th century, and Jacques Vieau, a French-Canadian voyageur and trader who operated in the Upper Mississippi River region in the same period.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Vieau
Among Census respondents with the surname Vieau, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.6%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.4%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (3.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Vieau 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 Vieau surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White87.6% · 614
- Two or more races4.4% · 31
- American Indian and Alaska Native3.7% · 26
- Hispanic or Latino2.7% · 19
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.1% · 8
- Black or African American0.4% · 3
Timeline
Historical Census data for Vieau
Vieau 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
#34,758
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 650
+39 bearers (+6.4%)
Per 100,000 0.22
Rank movement Up 191 places
2020
#34,739
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 701
+51 bearers (+7.8%)
Per 100,000 0.23
Rank movement Up 19 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #34,949 | 611 | 0.23 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #34,758 | 650 | 0.22 | +39 bearers (+6.4%) | Up 191 places |
| 2020 | #34,739 | 701 | 0.23 | +51 bearers (+7.8%) | Up 19 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 Vieau 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 | #34,758 | #34,739 | 0.1% |
| Count | 650 | 701 | 7.8% |
| Per 100K | 0.22 | 0.23 | 6.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Vieau bearers went from 650 to 701 (+7.8% change). The surname moved up 19 positions in the national ranking, going from #34,758 to #34,739.
FAQ
Vieau surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Vieau?
Name Census estimates that about 804 living Americans carry the surname Vieau. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 426,311 residents.
How common is Vieau?
Vieau ranks #34,739 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.23 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 701 people with the surname Vieau. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (804), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.23 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.23 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Vieau.
Has Vieau become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Vieau went from 650 recorded bearers to 701. That is an increase of 51 (+7.8%). In the national ranking it rose from #34,758 to #34,739.
What does the Census say about the background of Vieau?
Among Census respondents with the surname Vieau, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.6%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.4%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (3.7%). 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 Vieau in the 2020 Census, accounting for 87.6% (614 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Vieau appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (87.6%), Two or More Races (4.4%), American Indian/Alaska Native (3.7%). 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 Vieau (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 Vieau mean?
A French surname derived from the Old French word "veiel", meaning old. 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 Vieau (0.23 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 Vieau?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.