2000
#3,339
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 9,823
First available Census row
Per 100,000 3.64
Uncommon Last name
Vines
A surname referring to someone who lived near a vineyard or worked as a vine grower or tender.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 10,565 Americans carry the last name Vines. That puts it at #3,753 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 3.08 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 32,442 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Vines 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 Vines with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
11K
1 in 32,442
Census rank
#3,753
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
3.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
9.2K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 9,213 bearers of the surname Vines in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 3.08 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 3753rd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Vines, the largest self-reported group is White at 60.6%. The next largest groups are Black (30.9%) and Two or More Races (4.3%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Vines
The surname Vines is believed to have originated in England, tracing its roots back to the medieval era. It is a topographical name, derived from the Old English word "vinr," meaning "vine" or "grapevine." This suggests that the earliest bearers of this name lived near or were associated with vineyards or areas where grapevines grew abundantly.
The earliest known record of the name Vines appears in the Domesday Book of 1086, where it is listed as "de Vines," referring to someone who lived near or worked with vines. This entry supports the theory that the name originated from a place name or occupation related to vineyards.
In the 13th century, the name was found in various forms, such as "de la Vyne," "atte Vyne," and "de Vynor," indicating variations in spelling and usage. These variants further reinforce the connection to vines or vineyards.
One notable early bearer of the name was John de la Vyne, a prominent landowner and knight who lived in the 13th century. He is mentioned in several historical records from that period, including the Feet of Fines for Essex in 1242.
Another individual worth mentioning is William Vines, a Puritan minister and author who lived from 1590 to 1660. He was a prominent figure in the English Reformation and wrote several influential works on theology and religious matters.
In the 16th century, the Vines family had a strong presence in Gloucestershire, England. One member of this family, Richard Vines, was born in 1589 and became a respected minister and author, known for his contributions to the Westminster Assembly.
Moving forward to the 17th century, we find Francis Vines, a renowned English theologian and scholar who lived from 1610 to 1659. He was a prominent figure in the debates surrounding Arminianism and Calvinism during that period.
Lastly, it is worth noting that the name Vines has also been associated with various place names throughout England, such as Vine Street in London and Vine Cottage in Oxfordshire. These place names further reinforce the topographical origins of the surname, linking it to areas where vines or vineyards were once prevalent.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Vines
Among Census respondents with the surname Vines, the largest self-reported group is White at 60.6%. The next largest groups are Black (30.9%) and Two or More Races (4.3%).
The bar chart below shows how Vines 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 Vines surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White60.6% · 5,579
- Black or African American30.9% · 2,844
- Two or more races4.3% · 395
- Hispanic or Latino3.3% · 306
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 53
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.4% · 36
Timeline
Historical Census data for Vines
Vines 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
#3,547
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 10,061
+238 bearers (+2.4%)
Per 100,000 3.41
Rank movement Down 208 places
2020
#3,753
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 9,213
-848 bearers (-8.4%)
Per 100,000 3.08
Rank movement Down 206 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #3,339 | 9,823 | 3.64 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #3,547 | 10,061 | 3.41 | +238 bearers (+2.4%) | Down 208 places |
| 2020 | #3,753 | 9,213 | 3.08 | -848 bearers (-8.4%) | Down 206 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 Vines 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 | #3,547 | #3,753 | -5.8% |
| Count | 10,061 | 9,213 | -8.4% |
| Per 100K | 3.41 | 3.08 | -9.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Vines bearers went from 10,061 to 9,213 (-8.4% change). The surname moved down 206 positions in the national ranking, going from #3,547 to #3,753.
FAQ
Vines surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Vines?
Name Census estimates that about 10,565 living Americans carry the surname Vines. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 32,442 residents.
How common is Vines?
Vines ranks #3,753 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 3.08 per 100,000 residents, which is about 3 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 9,213 people with the surname Vines. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (10,565), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 3.08 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 3.08 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 3 of them to have the surname Vines.
Has Vines become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Vines went from 10,061 recorded bearers to 9,213. That is a decrease of 848 (-8.4%). In the national ranking it fell from #3,547 to #3,753.
What does the Census say about the background of Vines?
Among Census respondents with the surname Vines, the largest self-reported group is White at 60.6%. The next largest groups are Black (30.9%) and Two or More Races (4.3%). 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?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Vines in the 2020 Census, accounting for 60.6% (5,579 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Vines appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (60.6%), Black (30.9%), Two or More Races (4.3%). 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 Vines (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 Vines mean?
A surname referring to someone who lived near a vineyard or worked as a vine grower or tender. 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 Vines (3.08 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 Vines?
See how many people have the surname Vines on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.