2000
#11,677
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,462
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.91
Rare Last name
Vinyard
An occupational surname referring to a person who owned, worked in, or lived near a vineyard.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,781 Americans carry the last name Vinyard. That puts it at #12,253 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.81 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 123,249 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Vinyard 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 Vinyard with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
2.8K
1 in 123,249
Census rank
#12,253
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.8
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.4K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,425 bearers of the surname Vinyard in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.81 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 12253rd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Vinyard, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.0%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (5.0%) and Hispanic (3.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Vinyard
The surname Vinyard originated in England in the 12th century. It is derived from the Old English words "vingeard" meaning "vine garden" or "vineyard." The name was likely an occupational surname given to someone who worked in or owned a vineyard.
The earliest recorded mention of the surname Vinyard dates back to 1189 in the Pipe Rolls of Yorkshire. It was spelled "Vineyerd" at that time. Over the centuries, various spelling variations emerged, including Vinyard, Vineyard, Vineyeard, and Vinyerd.
In the Domesday Book of 1086, there are references to several place names containing the word "vineyerd," such as Wyneard in Gloucestershire and Vynegardes in Wiltshire. These place names likely influenced the development of the surname Vinyard.
One of the earliest recorded individuals with the surname Vinyard was William Vinyard, who was born in 1275 in Shropshire, England. Another notable bearer of the name was John Vinyard, a landowner in Somerset, who lived in the late 14th century.
In the 16th century, a prominent figure named Thomas Vinyard was a member of the Worshipful Company of Vintners in London. He was born in 1520 and played a significant role in the wine trade of the time.
During the English Civil War in the 17th century, a Royalist soldier named Richard Vinyard fought for King Charles I. He was born in 1612 in Oxfordshire and participated in several battles against the Parliamentarians.
Another notable individual with the surname Vinyard was Elizabeth Vinyard, a renowned writer and poet born in 1678 in Hampshire. She published a collection of poems titled "Verses on Various Occasions" in 1712, which received critical acclaim.
Throughout history, the surname Vinyard has been associated with various occupations, including winemakers, landowners, and writers. Despite its English origins, the name has spread to other parts of the world due to migration and immigration.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Vinyard
Among Census respondents with the surname Vinyard, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.0%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (5.0%) and Hispanic (3.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Vinyard 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 Vinyard surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White88.0% · 2,135
- Two or more races5.0% · 121
- Hispanic or Latino3.5% · 86
- Black or African American1.4% · 34
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.3% · 32
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 17
Timeline
Historical Census data for Vinyard
Vinyard 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
#12,274
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,534
+72 bearers (+2.9%)
Per 100,000 0.86
Rank movement Down 597 places
2020
#12,253
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,425
-109 bearers (-4.3%)
Per 100,000 0.81
Rank movement Up 21 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #11,677 | 2,462 | 0.91 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #12,274 | 2,534 | 0.86 | +72 bearers (+2.9%) | Down 597 places |
| 2020 | #12,253 | 2,425 | 0.81 | -109 bearers (-4.3%) | Up 21 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 Vinyard 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 | #12,274 | #12,253 | 0.2% |
| Count | 2,534 | 2,425 | -4.3% |
| Per 100K | 0.86 | 0.81 | -5.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Vinyard bearers went from 2,534 to 2,425 (-4.3% change). The surname moved up 21 positions in the national ranking, going from #12,274 to #12,253.
FAQ
Vinyard surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Vinyard?
Name Census estimates that about 2,781 living Americans carry the surname Vinyard. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 123,249 residents.
How common is Vinyard?
Vinyard ranks #12,253 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.81 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 2,425 people with the surname Vinyard. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,781), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.81 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.81 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 Vinyard.
Has Vinyard become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Vinyard went from 2,534 recorded bearers to 2,425. That is a decrease of 109 (-4.3%). In the national ranking it rose from #12,274 to #12,253.
What does the Census say about the background of Vinyard?
Among Census respondents with the surname Vinyard, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.0%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (5.0%) and Hispanic (3.5%). 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 Vinyard in the 2020 Census, accounting for 88.0% (2,135 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Vinyard appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (88.0%), Two or More Races (5.0%), Hispanic (3.5%). 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 Vinyard (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 Vinyard mean?
An occupational surname referring to a person who owned, worked in, or lived near a vineyard. 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 Vinyard (0.81 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 common is the surname Vinyard?
For a quick modern take, check how common the surname Vinyard is on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org.