2000
#1,318
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 24,557
First available Census row
Per 100,000 9.10
Uncommon Last name
Vinson
An English surname derived from a patronymic name meaning "son of Vincent."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 28,000 Americans carry the last name Vinson. That puts it at #1,418 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 8.17 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 12,241 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Vinson 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 Vinson with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
28K
1 in 12,241
Census rank
#1,418
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
8.2
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
24K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 24,417 bearers of the surname Vinson in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 8.17 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 1418th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Vinson, the largest self-reported group is White at 62.2%. The next largest groups are Black (27.9%) and Two or More Races (4.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Vinson
The surname Vinson has its origins in France, tracing back to the medieval period. It is believed to have derived from the Old French word "vinçon," which means "little vine." This suggests that the name may have been initially associated with those who were involved in viticulture or lived near vineyards.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Vinson can be found in the Domesday Book, a comprehensive record of landholdings in England compiled in 1086. The entry mentions a "Wilelmus Vinson" as a landowner in the county of Essex.
During the Middle Ages, the name Vinson appeared in various historical documents across different regions of France. For instance, in the 13th century, a nobleman named Raoul Vinson was mentioned in records from the Champagne region. Around the same time, a merchant named Jacques Vinson was documented in the city of Lyon.
As the name spread across Europe, it underwent various spelling variations, such as Vynson, Vinsson, and Vinçon. These variations were often influenced by local dialects and scribal practices.
One of the notable individuals bearing the surname Vinson was Sir Robert Vinson (1586-1663), an English politician and lawyer who served as Lord Mayor of London in 1654. Another prominent figure was André Vinson (1619-1682), a French Catholic priest and theologian who played a significant role in the controversy surrounding Jansenism.
In the 19th century, the name gained prominence with individuals like Albert Vinson (1833-1920), a French linguist and scholar who made significant contributions to the study of Basque language and culture. Another notable figure was Julian Vinson (1826-1899), an American politician and lawyer who served as a U.S. Representative from Mississippi.
Other individuals with the surname Vinson include Frederick Moore Vinson (1890-1953), an American lawyer and politician who served as the 13th Chief Justice of the United States Supreme Court, and Carl Vinson (1883-1981), a long-serving U.S. Congressman from Georgia, known for his influential role in shaping the United States Navy.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Vinson
Among Census respondents with the surname Vinson, the largest self-reported group is White at 62.2%. The next largest groups are Black (27.9%) and Two or More Races (4.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Vinson 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 Vinson surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White62.2% · 15,193
- Black or African American27.9% · 6,810
- Two or more races4.9% · 1,194
- Hispanic or Latino3.5% · 846
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 193
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.7% · 181
Timeline
Historical Census data for Vinson
Vinson 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
#1,401
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 25,341
+784 bearers (+3.2%)
Per 100,000 8.59
Rank movement Down 83 places
2020
#1,418
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 24,417
-924 bearers (-3.6%)
Per 100,000 8.17
Rank movement Down 17 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #1,318 | 24,557 | 9.10 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #1,401 | 25,341 | 8.59 | +784 bearers (+3.2%) | Down 83 places |
| 2020 | #1,418 | 24,417 | 8.17 | -924 bearers (-3.6%) | Down 17 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 Vinson 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 | #1,401 | #1,418 | -1.2% |
| Count | 25,341 | 24,417 | -3.6% |
| Per 100K | 8.59 | 8.17 | -4.9% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Vinson bearers went from 25,341 to 24,417 (-3.6% change). The surname moved down 17 positions in the national ranking, going from #1,401 to #1,418.
FAQ
Vinson surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Vinson?
Name Census estimates that about 28,000 living Americans carry the surname Vinson. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 12,241 residents.
How common is Vinson?
Vinson ranks #1,418 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 8.17 per 100,000 residents, which is about 8 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 24,417 people with the surname Vinson. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (28,000), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 8.17 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 8.17 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 8 of them to have the surname Vinson.
Has Vinson become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Vinson went from 25,341 recorded bearers to 24,417. That is a decrease of 924 (-3.6%). In the national ranking it fell from #1,401 to #1,418.
What does the Census say about the background of Vinson?
Among Census respondents with the surname Vinson, the largest self-reported group is White at 62.2%. The next largest groups are Black (27.9%) and Two or More Races (4.9%). 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 Vinson in the 2020 Census, accounting for 62.2% (15,193 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Vinson appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (62.2%), Black (27.9%), Two or More Races (4.9%). 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 Vinson (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 Vinson mean?
An English surname derived from a patronymic name meaning "son of Vincent." 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 Vinson (8.17 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 are called Vinson?
Want to know how many people have the surname Vinson? HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, puts the living-bearer count front and centre.