2010
#158,432
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 102
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.03
Very Rare Last name
Vokal
A surname related to the word "voice" or "vocal" in some languages.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 111 Americans carry the last name Vokal. That puts it at #156,449 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.03 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 3,087,877 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Vokal 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
111
1 in 3,087,877
Census rank
#156,449
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
97
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 97 bearers of the surname Vokal in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.03 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 156449th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Vokal, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (9.3%) and Two or More Races (1.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Vokal
The surname VOKAL is believed to have originated in Germany, particularly in the regions of Bavaria and Saxony, during the late Middle Ages. It is derived from the Old High German word "vok," which means "bird" or "fowl." This linguistic link suggests that the name may have been initially used as a nickname for someone who displayed bird-like characteristics or had a connection to birds, such as a hunter or a falconer.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the VOKAL name can be found in the historical records of the town of Nürnberg, dating back to the 14th century. In a document from 1398, a certain Hans Vokal is mentioned as a merchant and landowner in the region. This suggests that the name had already established itself and gained some prominence by that time.
In the 15th century, the VOKAL name appears in several other German cities, such as Leipzig and Augsburg. Notably, the Augsburg City Archives contain references to a family of wealthy textile merchants and traders named VOKAL, who were active in the city's prosperous textile industry during the late 1400s.
As trade and migration increased in Europe during the Renaissance period, the VOKAL name began to spread beyond Germany's borders. In the 16th century, records show individuals bearing this surname in neighboring countries like Austria and Switzerland, indicating that members of the VOKAL family had ventured into new territories.
One notable figure with the VOKAL surname was Johann Vokal, a German composer and organist who lived from 1551 to 1621. He served as the court organist for the Dukes of Bavaria and was renowned for his contributions to sacred music during the Counter-Reformation era.
Another prominent individual with this surname was Friedrich Vokal (1754-1822), a German philosopher and educator who advocated for educational reforms and the teaching of practical subjects in schools. His ideas influenced the development of modern educational systems in Germany and beyond.
In the 19th century, the VOKAL name continued to be found across various regions of Germany, as well as in other parts of Europe where German immigrants had settled. For example, historical records from the Czech lands mention a family of Vokal landowners and industrialists who had relocated from Saxony in the early 1800s.
Other notable individuals with the VOKAL surname include Lena Vokal (1891-1965), a German-American artist known for her paintings depicting life in rural Pennsylvania, and Hans Vokal (1912-1997), a German-born aerospace engineer who made significant contributions to the development of rocket technology during the Space Race.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Vokal
Among Census respondents with the surname Vokal, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (9.3%) and Two or More Races (1.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Vokal 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 Vokal surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White89.7% · 87
- Hispanic or Latino9.3% · 9
- Two or more races1.0% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Vokal
Vokal appears in 2 published Census surname files: 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2020
#156,449
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 97
-5 bearers (-4.9%)
Per 100,000 0.03
Rank movement Up 1,983 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #158,432 | 102 | 0.03 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #156,449 | 97 | 0.03 | -5 bearers (-4.9%) | Up 1,983 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 Vokal 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 | #158,432 | #156,449 | 1.3% |
| Count | 102 | 97 | -4.9% |
| Per 100K | 0.03 | 0.03 | 8.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Vokal bearers went from 102 to 97 (-4.9% change). The surname moved up 1,983 positions in the national ranking, going from #158,432 to #156,449.
FAQ
Vokal surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Vokal?
Name Census estimates that about 111 living Americans carry the surname Vokal. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 3,087,877 residents.
How common is Vokal?
Vokal ranks #156,449 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.03 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 97 people with the surname Vokal. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (111), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.03 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.03 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 Vokal.
Has Vokal become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Vokal went from 102 recorded bearers to 97. That is a decrease of 5 (-4.9%). In the national ranking it rose from #158,432 to #156,449.
What does the Census say about the background of Vokal?
Among Census respondents with the surname Vokal, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (9.3%) and Two or More Races (1.0%). 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 Vokal in the 2020 Census, accounting for 89.7% (87 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Vokal appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (89.7%), Hispanic (9.3%), Two or More Races (1.0%). 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 Vokal (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 Vokal mean?
A surname related to the word "voice" or "vocal" in some languages. 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 Vokal (0.03 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 are called Vokal?
You can see how many people have the last name Vokal on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.