2000
#125,639
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 126
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.05
Very Rare Last name
Voas
A locational surname of French origin referring to someone from Vaux or Vaulx.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 135 Americans carry the last name Voas. That puts it at #143,511 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,538,921 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Voas 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
135
1 in 2,538,921
Census rank
#143,511
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
118
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 118 bearers of the surname Voas in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 143511th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Voas, the largest self-reported group is White at 97.5%. The next largest groups are American Indian/Alaska Native (1.7%) and Two or More Races (0.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Voas
The surname Voas is of Portuguese origin, derived from the word "voa" which means "arch" or "vault." It is believed to have emerged in the region of Minho, located in northwestern Portugal, sometime around the 13th century.
In its earliest form, the name was often spelled as "Voas" or "Voas de Minho" to indicate its regional association. Some variations of the spelling include "Voas," "Voaz," and "Voas de Minho." It is thought that the name may have originated as a reference to individuals who lived or worked near arched structures, such as bridges or vaulted buildings.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the Voas name appears in the "Livro das Linhagens" (Book of Lineages), a 14th-century Portuguese genealogical work. This document mentions a nobleman named Afonso Voas who lived during the reign of King Dinis I (1261-1325).
In the 15th century, the name Voas is found in various municipal records and land registries from the Minho region. For example, a certain Gonçalo Voas is documented as a landowner in the town of Ponte de Lima in 1487.
During the Age of Discovery, several individuals bearing the Voas surname participated in the Portuguese explorations and colonization efforts. One notable figure was António Voas (1520-1588), a navigator and explorer who accompanied Ferdinand Magellan on his famous circumnavigation voyage in 1519-1522.
Another historical figure associated with the Voas name was Duarte Voas (1550-1615), a Portuguese soldier and military commander who served in the Portuguese conquest of Brazil and the War of the Iberian Union against Spain.
In the 18th century, a Portuguese nobleman named João Voas (1702-1778) gained prominence as a wealthy landowner and philanthropist in the Minho region. He funded the construction of several churches and educational institutions in the area.
Over time, the Voas surname spread beyond Portugal to other parts of the world, particularly through Portuguese emigration and colonial ventures. Today, individuals with the Voas surname can be found in various countries, including Brazil, the United States, and other regions with historical Portuguese connections.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Voas
Among Census respondents with the surname Voas, the largest self-reported group is White at 97.5%. The next largest groups are American Indian/Alaska Native (1.7%) and Two or More Races (0.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Voas 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 Voas surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White97.5% · 115
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.7% · 2
- Two or more races0.8% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Voas
Voas 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
#135,593
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 124
-2 bearers (-1.6%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 9,954 places
2020
#143,511
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 118
-6 bearers (-4.8%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 7,918 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #125,639 | 126 | 0.05 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #135,593 | 124 | 0.04 | -2 bearers (-1.6%) | Down 9,954 places |
| 2020 | #143,511 | 118 | 0.04 | -6 bearers (-4.8%) | Down 7,918 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 Voas 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 | #135,593 | #143,511 | -5.8% |
| Count | 124 | 118 | -4.8% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -1.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Voas bearers went from 124 to 118 (-4.8% change). The surname moved down 7,918 positions in the national ranking, going from #135,593 to #143,511.
FAQ
Voas surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Voas?
Name Census estimates that about 135 living Americans carry the surname Voas. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,538,921 residents.
How common is Voas?
Voas ranks #143,511 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 118 people with the surname Voas. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (135), 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 Voas.
Has Voas become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Voas went from 124 recorded bearers to 118. That is a decrease of 6 (-4.8%). In the national ranking it fell from #135,593 to #143,511.
What does the Census say about the background of Voas?
Among Census respondents with the surname Voas, the largest self-reported group is White at 97.5%. The next largest groups are American Indian/Alaska Native (1.7%) and Two or More Races (0.8%). 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 Voas in the 2020 Census, accounting for 97.5% (115 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Voas appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (97.5%), American Indian/Alaska Native (1.7%), Two or More Races (0.8%). 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 Voas (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 Voas mean?
A locational surname of French origin referring to someone from Vaux or Vaulx. 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 Voas (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 Voas?
See how many people have the last name Voas on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.