2000
#8,294
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,674
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.36
Rare Last name
Vital
A surname derived from the Latin word "vitalis," meaning "of life," referring to someone full of life or energy.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 5,538 Americans carry the last name Vital. That puts it at #6,713 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.62 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 61,891 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Vital 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
5.5K
1 in 61,891
Census rank
#6,713
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.6
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
4.8K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 4,829 bearers of the surname Vital in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.62 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 6713th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Vital, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 51.2%. The next largest groups are Black (30.6%) and White (12.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of 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.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Vital
Among Census respondents with the surname Vital, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 51.2%. The next largest groups are Black (30.6%) and White (12.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Vital 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 Vital surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Hispanic or Latino51.2% · 2,473
- Black or African American30.6% · 1,480
- White12.6% · 607
- Asian and Pacific Islander3.7% · 177
- Two or more races1.8% · 88
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.1% · 4
Timeline
Historical Census data for Vital
Vital 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
#6,739
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,004
+1,330 bearers (+36.2%)
Per 100,000 1.70
Rank movement Up 1,555 places
2020
#6,713
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,829
-175 bearers (-3.5%)
Per 100,000 1.62
Rank movement Up 26 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #8,294 | 3,674 | 1.36 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #6,739 | 5,004 | 1.70 | +1,330 bearers (+36.2%) | Up 1,555 places |
| 2020 | #6,713 | 4,829 | 1.62 | -175 bearers (-3.5%) | Up 26 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 Vital 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 | #6,739 | #6,713 | 0.4% |
| Count | 5,004 | 4,829 | -3.5% |
| Per 100K | 1.70 | 1.62 | -5.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Vital bearers went from 5,004 to 4,829 (-3.5% change). The surname moved up 26 positions in the national ranking, going from #6,739 to #6,713.
FAQ
Vital surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Vital?
Name Census estimates that about 5,538 living Americans carry the surname Vital. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 61,891 residents.
How common is Vital?
Vital ranks #6,713 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.62 per 100,000 residents, which is about 2 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 4,829 people with the surname Vital. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (5,538), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.62 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.62 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 2 of them to have the surname Vital.
Has Vital become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Vital went from 5,004 recorded bearers to 4,829. That is a decrease of 175 (-3.5%). In the national ranking it rose from #6,739 to #6,713.
What does the Census say about the background of Vital?
Among Census respondents with the surname Vital, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 51.2%. The next largest groups are Black (30.6%) and White (12.6%). 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?
Hispanic is the largest self-reported group for the surname Vital in the 2020 Census, accounting for 51.2% (2,473 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Vital appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Hispanic (51.2%), Black (30.6%), White (12.6%). 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 Vital (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 Vital mean?
A surname derived from the Latin word "vitalis," meaning "of life," referring to someone full of life or energy. 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 Vital (1.62 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 share the surname Vital?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.