2000
#105,905
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 156
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.06
Very Rare Last name
Violand
A variant of the Germanic name Wieland, meaning "wild campaigner" or "battle leader."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 133 Americans carry the last name Violand. That puts it at #145,028 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,577,100 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Violand 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
133
1 in 2,577,100
Census rank
#145,028
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
116
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 116 bearers of the surname Violand in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 145028th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Violand, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.9%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (7.8%) and Hispanic (3.4%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Violand
The surname VIOLAND originated in France during the late medieval period. It is believed to be derived from the Old French word "violon," which referred to the violin or a person who played the violin. This suggests that the name may have originally been an occupational surname given to musicians or violin players.
The earliest known record of the VIOLAND surname dates back to the 14th century in the region of Normandy, France. In a document from 1365, a man named Jean VIOLAND was mentioned as a member of a local guild of musicians in the city of Rouen. This provides evidence that the name was already established and associated with the musical profession at that time.
Another notable early reference to the VIOLAND name can be found in the "Livre des Métiers" (Book of Trades), a 14th-century manuscript that documented the various guilds and professions in Paris. In this text, a certain Guillaume VIOLAND is listed as a renowned luthier, or maker of stringed instruments, including violins.
During the 16th and 17th centuries, the VIOLAND surname began to spread beyond France to other parts of Europe. In 1587, a man named Étienne VIOLAND was recorded as a violinist in the court of Queen Elizabeth I in England. This suggests that members of the VIOLAND family had already established themselves as respected musicians in different countries.
One of the earliest known individuals with the VIOLAND surname was François VIOLAND, a French composer and violinist born in 1672 in Paris. He was known for his contributions to the development of the French baroque style and was a member of the renowned French royal court orchestra.
Another notable figure was Jean-Baptiste VIOLAND (1735-1799), a French violinist and composer who performed extensively in Paris and other European cities. He was particularly renowned for his virtuosic violin concertos and chamber music works.
In the 19th century, the VIOLAND name gained prominence in the field of music education. Louis VIOLAND (1809-1887) was a celebrated French music teacher and founder of the Violand School of Music in Paris, which trained many renowned musicians of the time.
The VIOLAND surname has also been associated with various place names throughout France, such as Violand-le-Petit and Violand-le-Grand, which were likely derived from the surname itself or vice versa.
While the VIOLAND name has its roots in France, it has since spread to other parts of the world, carried by individuals and families who have migrated over the centuries. However, its historical significance remains closely tied to the musical tradition and the violin-making craft that gave rise to this distinctive surname.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Violand
Among Census respondents with the surname Violand, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.9%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (7.8%) and Hispanic (3.4%).
The bar chart below shows how Violand 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 Violand surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White87.9% · 102
- Two or more races7.8% · 9
- Hispanic or Latino3.4% · 4
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Violand
Violand 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
#128,249
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 133
-23 bearers (-14.7%)
Per 100,000 0.05
Rank movement Down 22,344 places
2020
#145,028
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 116
-17 bearers (-12.8%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 16,779 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #105,905 | 156 | 0.06 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #128,249 | 133 | 0.05 | -23 bearers (-14.7%) | Down 22,344 places |
| 2020 | #145,028 | 116 | 0.04 | -17 bearers (-12.8%) | Down 16,779 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 Violand 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 | #128,249 | #145,028 | -13.1% |
| Count | 133 | 116 | -12.8% |
| Per 100K | 0.05 | 0.04 | -22.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Violand bearers went from 133 to 116 (-12.8% change). The surname moved down 16,779 positions in the national ranking, going from #128,249 to #145,028.
FAQ
Violand surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Violand?
Name Census estimates that about 133 living Americans carry the surname Violand. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,577,100 residents.
How common is Violand?
Violand ranks #145,028 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.04 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 116 people with the surname Violand. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (133), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.04 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 Violand.
Has Violand become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Violand went from 133 recorded bearers to 116. That is a decrease of 17 (-12.8%). In the national ranking it fell from #128,249 to #145,028.
What does the Census say about the background of Violand?
Among Census respondents with the surname Violand, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.9%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (7.8%) and Hispanic (3.4%). 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 Violand in the 2020 Census, accounting for 87.9% (102 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Violand appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (87.9%), Two or More Races (7.8%), Hispanic (3.4%). 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 Violand (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 Violand mean?
A variant of the Germanic name Wieland, meaning "wild campaigner" or "battle leader." 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 Violand (0.04 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 Violand?
If you just want to know how many people are called Violand, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.