2010
#159,712
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 101
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.03
Very Rare Last name
Vollet
A variant spelling of the French surname "Violet", referring to a person who grew violets.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 122 Americans carry the last name Vollet. That puts it at #152,339 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,809,462 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Vollet 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
122
1 in 2,809,462
Census rank
#152,339
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
106
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 106 bearers of the surname Vollet in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 152339th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Vollet, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.8%) and Black (0.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Vollet
The surname Vollet originated in France during the medieval period. It is believed to be derived from the Old French word "voleter," meaning "to flutter" or "to fly." This suggests that the name may have initially referred to someone who worked with birds or had a connection to avian creatures.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Vollet can be found in the Domesday Book, a comprehensive survey of landowners and tenants in England commissioned by William the Conqueror in 1086. The name appears in various spellings, such as "Vollet" and "Voulet," indicating its French roots.
In the 13th century, records show a prominent individual named Jacques Vollet, who served as a courtier in the court of King Louis IX of France. Jacques Vollet was known for his expertise in falconry, a popular pastime among the nobility at the time.
During the 16th century, the Vollet family established itself in the region of Champagne, France. One notable member was Jean Vollet, born in 1523, who was a renowned vintner and contributed significantly to the development of the wine industry in the region.
In the 17th century, the name Vollet gained recognition through the work of Pierre Vollet, a French philosopher and mathematician born in 1638. Pierre Vollet made significant contributions to the fields of geometry and calculus, and his writings were highly respected among intellectuals of the era.
Another notable figure with the surname Vollet was Marie-Anne Vollet, born in 1720, who was a renowned opera singer and performer in the court of King Louis XV. Her exceptional talent and stage presence earned her widespread acclaim throughout Europe.
As the Vollet family spread across France and beyond, the name took on various spellings and adaptations. In some regions, it was written as "Voulet" or "Vouillet," reflecting local dialects and pronunciation variations.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Vollet
Among Census respondents with the surname Vollet, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.8%) and Black (0.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Vollet 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 Vollet surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White93.4% · 99
- Hispanic or Latino3.8% · 4
- Black or African American0.9% · 1
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.9% · 1
- Two or more races0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Vollet
Vollet 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
#152,339
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 106
+5 bearers (+5.0%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 7,373 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #159,712 | 101 | 0.03 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #152,339 | 106 | 0.04 | +5 bearers (+5.0%) | Up 7,373 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 Vollet 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 | #159,712 | #152,339 | 4.6% |
| Count | 101 | 106 | 5.0% |
| Per 100K | 0.03 | 0.04 | 18.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Vollet bearers went from 101 to 106 (+5.0% change). The surname moved up 7,373 positions in the national ranking, going from #159,712 to #152,339.
FAQ
Vollet surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Vollet?
Name Census estimates that about 122 living Americans carry the surname Vollet. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,809,462 residents.
How common is Vollet?
Vollet ranks #152,339 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 106 people with the surname Vollet. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (122), 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 Vollet.
Has Vollet become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Vollet went from 101 recorded bearers to 106. That is an increase of 5 (+5.0%). In the national ranking it rose from #159,712 to #152,339.
What does the Census say about the background of Vollet?
Among Census respondents with the surname Vollet, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.8%) and Black (0.9%). 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 Vollet in the 2020 Census, accounting for 93.4% (99 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Vollet appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (93.4%), Hispanic (3.8%), Black (0.9%). 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 Vollet (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 Vollet mean?
A variant spelling of the French surname "Violet", referring to a person who grew violets. 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 Vollet (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 many people share the surname Vollet?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.