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

Vowels, 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 Vowels surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Vowels in America

Vowels is the 22618th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Vowels surname appeared 1,135 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 Vowels.

We can also compare 2010 data for Vowels 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 Vowels

The surname VOWELS is believed to have originated in England during the medieval period. It is thought to be a locational name, derived from a place name that contained the element "vowel," which referred to a small stream or brook. This name may have been initially given to someone who lived near such a waterway.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname VOWELS can be found in the Pipe Rolls of Gloucestershire from 1230, which mention a Robert de la Vowele. This suggests that the name was in use by the 13th century, likely in the southwestern counties of England.

In the 14th century, records from Somerset list a William atte Vowele in 1327, indicating a variation in the spelling and the use of the preposition "atte" meaning "at the." This reinforces the notion that the name was originally a descriptive one, referring to someone's proximity to a small stream or brook.

The VOWELS surname can also be traced back to the Hundred Rolls of Oxfordshire from 1273, which mention a John de la Vowele. This further supports the idea that the name was present in various parts of England during the medieval period.

One notable individual with the surname VOWELS was Sir William Vowels (1512-1585), a member of the English gentry and a Member of Parliament for Somerset during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I. Another historical figure was John Vowels (1668-1737), an English architect who designed several notable buildings in the city of Bath.

In the 16th century, the surname VOWELS appeared in the parish records of St. Martin's in Birmingham, where a Robert Vowels was listed in 1570. This suggests that the name had spread to various regions of England by that time.

Other examples of individuals with the VOWELS surname include Thomas Vowels (1630-1692), an English Puritan minister and author, and William Vowels (1786-1857), a British naval officer who served during the Napoleonic Wars.

While the surname VOWELS is not as common as some other English surnames, it has a long and interesting history, with roots dating back to the medieval period and a possible connection to the geography and landscape of various regions in England.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Vowels

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

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

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

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