2000
#11,879
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,413
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.89
Rare Last name
Viers
Derived from the Old French word "vivier," referring to a person who lived near a fish pond or fishery.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,564 Americans carry the last name Viers. That puts it at #13,123 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.75 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 133,680 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Viers 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
2.6K
1 in 133,680
Census rank
#13,123
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.2K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,236 bearers of the surname Viers in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.75 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 13123rd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Viers, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.7%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.8%) and Hispanic (2.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Viers
The surname VIERS is believed to have originated in France during the medieval period. It is derived from the Old French word "viers," which means "curved" or "twisted." This suggests that the name may have been initially given as a descriptive nickname to someone with a distinguishing physical characteristic, such as a crooked or bent posture.
The earliest known record of the name VIERS dates back to the 13th century, where it was found in various medieval documents and charters from the regions of Normandy and Picardy in northern France. Some of these early records include references to individuals with the surname VIERS living in villages or towns with similar-sounding names, such as Vierzy, Vierzon, or Vierves.
During the 14th century, the name VIERS began to spread beyond northern France, appearing in historical records from other parts of the country. One notable example is Jean Viers, a prominent merchant and landowner who lived in the city of Lyon in the late 1300s.
As the centuries passed, the VIERS surname continued to be documented in various regions of France. In the 16th century, a notable figure bearing this name was Pierre Viers, a Catholic priest and theologian who lived from 1515 to 1587. He was known for his writings on religious philosophy and his involvement in the Counter-Reformation movement.
In the 17th century, a branch of the VIERS family emigrated from France to the New World, settling in what is now the province of Quebec in Canada. One of the earliest recorded instances of this surname in North America was Jacques Viers, who was born in 1642 and became a prosperous farmer in the region.
Another significant individual with the surname VIERS was Louis Viers, a French military officer and explorer who lived from 1671 to 1736. He played a crucial role in the early exploration and settlement of the Mississippi River Valley region in North America.
During the 18th and 19th centuries, the VIERS surname continued to be found in various parts of Europe, particularly in France, Belgium, and the Netherlands. One notable bearer of this name was Émile Viers, a French painter who lived from 1805 to 1872 and was known for his landscape and genre paintings.
Overall, the surname VIERS has a rich history that spans centuries and crosses multiple continents. While its origins can be traced back to medieval France, the name has since been carried by individuals from various walks of life, including merchants, clergy, explorers, and artists.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Viers
Among Census respondents with the surname Viers, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.7%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.8%) and Hispanic (2.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Viers 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 Viers surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White90.7% · 2,027
- Two or more races3.8% · 85
- Hispanic or Latino2.6% · 58
- Black or African American1.7% · 38
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9% · 21
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 7
Timeline
Historical Census data for Viers
Viers 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
#12,785
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,413
+0 bearers (+0.0%)
Per 100,000 0.82
Rank movement Down 906 places
2020
#13,123
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,236
-177 bearers (-7.3%)
Per 100,000 0.75
Rank movement Down 338 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #11,879 | 2,413 | 0.89 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #12,785 | 2,413 | 0.82 | +0 bearers (+0.0%) | Down 906 places |
| 2020 | #13,123 | 2,236 | 0.75 | -177 bearers (-7.3%) | Down 338 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 Viers 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 | #12,785 | #13,123 | -2.6% |
| Count | 2,413 | 2,236 | -7.3% |
| Per 100K | 0.82 | 0.75 | -8.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Viers bearers went from 2,413 to 2,236 (-7.3% change). The surname moved down 338 positions in the national ranking, going from #12,785 to #13,123.
FAQ
Viers surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Viers?
Name Census estimates that about 2,564 living Americans carry the surname Viers. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 133,680 residents.
How common is Viers?
Viers ranks #13,123 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.75 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 2,236 people with the surname Viers. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,564), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.75 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.75 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 Viers.
Has Viers become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Viers went from 2,413 recorded bearers to 2,236. That is a decrease of 177 (-7.3%). In the national ranking it fell from #12,785 to #13,123.
What does the Census say about the background of Viers?
Among Census respondents with the surname Viers, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.7%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.8%) and Hispanic (2.6%). 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 Viers in the 2020 Census, accounting for 90.7% (2,027 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Viers appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (90.7%), Two or More Races (3.8%), Hispanic (2.6%). 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 Viers (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 Viers mean?
Derived from the Old French word "vivier," referring to a person who lived near a fish pond or fishery. 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 Viers (0.75 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 last name Viers?
Our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers how many Americans have the surname Viers at a glance, with the living-bearer count up front.