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

Vital, 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 Vital surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Vital in America

Vital is the 6739th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Vital surname appeared 5,004 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 2 people would have the surname Vital.

We can also compare 2010 data for Vital 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 Vital

The surname VITAL originated in Spain during the 16th century. It derived from the Spanish word "vital," which means "of life" or "essential." This name likely referred to someone who possessed vital qualities or played an essential role in their community.

The earliest recorded instance of the VITAL surname can be found in the parish records of the Catalonia region of Spain, dating back to the late 1500s. It is believed that the name first appeared in the town of Vilafranca del Penedès, near Barcelona.

During the 17th century, the VITAL surname spread to other parts of Spain, particularly the regions of Valencia and Aragon. It was also adopted by Sephardic Jewish families who had fled persecution in Spain and settled in various parts of Europe and the Mediterranean.

One notable historical figure with the VITAL surname was Pedro Vital, a Spanish soldier and explorer who accompanied Hernán Cortés on his expedition to Mexico in the early 16th century. Vital played a significant role in the conquest of the Aztec Empire and is mentioned in several accounts of the time.

In the 18th century, the VITAL surname appeared in various French records, likely due to the migration of Spanish families across the Pyrenees. One prominent individual was Jean-Baptiste Vital, a French philosopher and mathematician born in 1714 in Montpellier.

The VITAL surname also gained prominence in Portugal, where it was sometimes spelled as "Vidall" or "Vitale." One notable Portuguese bearer of the name was Manuel Vital, a 17th-century merchant and explorer who established trading routes in West Africa and the East Indies.

As the Spanish Empire expanded across the Americas, the VITAL surname traveled with colonists and settlers. In the 19th century, several individuals with this surname made significant contributions to the development of Latin American nations. For example, Juan Vital was a Venezuelan military leader and politician who played a crucial role in the country's independence movement.

Throughout history, the VITAL surname has been carried by individuals from diverse backgrounds, ranging from soldiers and explorers to philosophers and merchants. While its origins can be traced back to Spain, the name has spread across continents and cultures, reflecting the global reach of the Spanish language and the enduring legacy of those who bore this distinctive surname.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Vital

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

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 Vital 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 Vital 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 Vital was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

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

Reference this page

We spend a lot of resources downloading, cleaning, merging, and formatting the data that is shown on the site.

If you found the data or information on this page useful in your research, please use the tool below to properly cite or reference Name Census as the source. We appreciate your support!