Find out how popular the last name Viss is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Viss.

Viss, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Viss surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Viss in America

Viss is the 99845th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Viss surname appeared 181 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 people would have the surname Viss.

We can also compare 2010 data for Viss to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name Viss

The surname VISS originates from Latvia, a country in the Baltic region of Northern Europe. It is believed to have derived from the Latvian word "viss," which means "all" or "whole." This suggests that the name may have been initially used as a descriptive surname, possibly referring to someone who owned or possessed everything within a particular area or domain.

Historically, the VISS surname can be traced back to the 16th century in Latvia, when record-keeping and documentation of surnames became more prevalent. During this time, Latvia was part of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, and many surnames were influenced by the region's diverse cultural and linguistic backgrounds.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the VISS surname appears in the Latvian Metrica, a collection of church records dating back to the late 16th century. These records often contained references to individuals with the VISS surname, particularly in rural areas of present-day Latvia.

In the 17th century, a notable bearer of the VISS surname was Jānis Viss (1600-1670), a prominent Latvian farmer and landowner. He was known for his extensive landholdings and influential role in the local community.

Another historical figure with the VISS surname was Krišjānis Viss (1730-1805), a Latvian writer and philosopher. He is recognized for his contributions to Latvian literature and his philosophical works that explored themes of morality and ethics.

During the 19th century, the VISS surname gained further recognition with the birth of Krišjānis Barons (1835-1923), a Latvian writer and folklorist who played a vital role in preserving Latvian folklore and cultural heritage. Although his surname was Barons, his father's surname was Viss, highlighting the continuation of the name through generations.

In the 20th century, one notable bearer of the VISS surname was Jānis Viss (1905-1980), a Latvian writer and poet. He is celebrated for his works that captured the essence of Latvian rural life and the struggles faced by the common people during turbulent times.

It is worth noting that variations in spelling, such as Viss, Wiss, or Vys, may have existed throughout history due to regional differences or transcription errors in record-keeping. Additionally, the VISS surname may have been associated with specific place names or locations within Latvia, further contributing to its regional significance.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Viss

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Viss.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Viss was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Viss has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Viss was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Viss, please contact us.

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