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

Vorhies, 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 Vorhies surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Vorhies in America

Vorhies is the 37691st most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Vorhies surname appeared 590 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 people would have the surname Vorhies.

We can also compare 2010 data for Vorhies 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 Vorhies

The surname Vorhies has its origins in the Germanic regions of Europe, tracing its roots back to the medieval era. The name is believed to be derived from the Old German word "vorhiu," meaning "before" or "formerly," suggesting a connection to a place or location where the family originated.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Vorhies can be found in the Codex Diplomaticus, a collection of medieval charters and documents from the 12th century. In this manuscript, a certain "Henricus de Vorhies" is mentioned as a landowner in the region of Saxony, which is now part of modern-day Germany.

As the name spread throughout Central Europe, variations in spelling emerged, including Vorhees, Vorhies, and Vorhis. These variations were often influenced by local dialects and scribal errors in record-keeping.

In the 16th century, the name Vorhies appeared in the town records of Worms, a city in the Rhine-Hesse region of Germany. One notable individual from this period was Johann Vorhies (1520-1588), a respected scholar and theologian who taught at the University of Heidelberg.

During the great migration periods of the 17th and 18th centuries, many families bearing the surname Vorhies left their ancestral homelands and settled in various parts of the world, including the Americas. One such individual was Hans Vorhies (1655-1721), a Dutch settler who established a farm in the New Netherland colony, which later became part of New York.

In England, the name Vorhies can be traced back to the late 18th century. William Vorhies (1745-1819) was a prominent merchant and landowner in the county of Yorkshire, where he established a successful trading business.

As the centuries progressed, the Vorhies surname continued to spread and establish roots in various corners of the globe. Notable individuals with this surname include:

1. Jacqueline Vorhies (1902-1988), an American artist and sculptor known for her work in abstract expressionism.
2. Robert Vorhies (1921-2000), a United States Army officer who served in World War II and later became a respected military historian.
3. Charles Vorhies (1870-1946), an American entomologist and professor at the University of Arizona, renowned for his contributions to the study of insects.
4. John Vorhies (1866-1939), a Canadian politician and lawyer who served as a member of the House of Commons of Canada.
5. Elizabeth Vorhies (1927-2015), a British actress and stage performer who appeared in numerous theatrical productions throughout her career.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Vorhies

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

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

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

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