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

Vrba, 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 Vrba surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Vrba in America

Vrba is the 35489th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Vrba surname appeared 634 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 Vrba.

We can also compare 2010 data for Vrba 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 Vrba

The surname VRBA has its origins in the Czech Republic, dating back to the 13th century. It is derived from the Czech word "vrba," which means "willow." This suggests that the name was likely given to someone who lived near a willow tree or a place where willows grew abundantly.

The earliest recorded instances of the name VRBA can be found in medieval Czech documents and records. One notable mention is in the Codex Diplomaticus et Epistolaris Regni Bohemiae, a collection of historical documents from the Kingdom of Bohemia, where a certain Petr VRBA was mentioned in a land deed from 1287.

In the 14th century, the name appeared in various forms, such as VRBKA or VRBSKY, indicating slight variations in spelling or localization. These variations were common during this period due to the lack of standardized spelling conventions.

The name VRBA has been associated with several notable individuals throughout history. One of the earliest was Jan VRBA, a Czech philosopher and theologian born in 1437 in the town of Kutná Hora. He was a prominent figure during the Hussite Reformation and wrote extensively on religious matters.

Another noteworthy bearer of the name was Antonín VRBA, a Czech architect born in 1799, who designed several significant buildings in Prague, including the Church of St. Ludmila and the Baroque-style Thun Palace.

During the 19th century, the VRBA name gained prominence in the field of literature. Alois VRBA (1822-1884) was a Czech writer and poet who contributed significantly to the development of Czech romantic literature. His works, such as "Květy" and "Čechy," celebrated the beauty of the Czech landscape and national identity.

In the field of science, Rudolf VRBA (1924-2017) was a Czech-born British biologist and ethologist who made significant contributions to the understanding of animal behavior and evolutionary theory. He is best known for co-developing the concept of "apostatic selection," which explains the evolution of camouflage and warning coloration in animals.

Lastly, a more contemporary figure is Pavel VRBA (born 1953), a Czech politician and diplomat who served as the Minister of Education, Youth, and Sports in the Czech Republic from 2006 to 2009.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Vrba

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

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

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

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