The Vance surname

In the 2010 U.S. Census, 47,324 people carried this name — #737 among all U.S. surnames, about 1 in every 6,230 people counted. That is up 3% from 45,763 in 2000.

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What the name means

The meaning of the Vance surname

A habitational surname from Old English.

From a Southern English dialectal form of Old English fenn (“marsh, bog”).

From Wiktionary, the free dictionary (en.wiktionary.org) — entry «Vance» (English), by Wiktionary contributors · licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 (creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0) · excerpt, lightly adapted.

In Ireland’s birth registers, 1890

Ireland registered 19 births for the Vance name in 1890.

Most were registered in Ulster. By the Registrar-General’s own method — births multiplied by 44.38 — that is about 800 people bearing the name in Ireland at the time. The Registrar-General’s note on the name: “Antrim.”

Too few records to say where it concentrates region by region — these are plain counts, not shares.

Where they were born, 1890

Ulster 17
Leinster 1
Munster 1

Registrar-General for Ireland, «Special Report on Surnames in Ireland» (R. E. Matheson, 1894), births index of 1890 — public domain.

In Scotland’s registers today

Vance was recorded 16 times in Scotland’s registers of births, marriages and deaths in 2025.

That made it the 1361st most common name in those registers, shared with others on the same count. In 1975, the first year of the series, the count was 19. Each birth counts the child’s surname, each marriage both partners’ and each death the surname of the person who died — a yearly count of registrations, not of the people who live in Scotland.

National Records of Scotland, «Most Common Surnames, 2025» (published 26 May 2026): every surname recorded 10 or more times in the 2025 registers, and the series from 1975 · different spellings are counted separately — © Crown copyright 2026. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.

In the first U.S. census, 1790

82 families named Vance, or a close spelling, were counted in 1790.

Each family is counted by its head. About 423 people lived in those households, 5.2 to a family on average. The census counted these spellings together: Vance, Vanse, Vantz. The table lists white heads of families only, in the twelve states whose 1790 records survive; Virginia’s figures come from state lists of 1782–1785.

Families, by state

Pennsylvania 35
North Carolina 12
South Carolina 11
Virginia 10
New York 4
Vermont 3
Maryland 3
New Hampshire 2
Massachusetts 1
Rhode Island 1

U.S. Census Bureau, «A Century of Population Growth from the First Census of the United States to the Twelfth, 1790–1900» (Washington, 1909), table 111, p. 266 — public domain · names carried by at least 100 white persons in 1790.

In print

Vance in American newspapers,
1880–1904.

Newspaper page from Milk River Valley News carrying the name Vance
Milk River Valley News 1904-06-15
Newspaper page from Milk River Valley News carrying the name Vance
Milk River Valley News 1904-05-25
Newspaper page from The New Orleans Daily Democrat carrying the name Vance
The New Orleans Daily Democrat 1880-04-17

Chronicling America, Library of Congress — digitised newspapers in the public domain · 1,218,334 pages in all carry the name.

In print

Vance in Australian newspapers,
1830s–2000s.

24,041 articles name a Mr, Mrs or Miss Vance. The most, 5,490, date from the 1930s. Weighed against how much of each state’s press from the same decades has been digitised, it stands out most in Victoria, at 1.7 times its expected share.

Articles, by state

Victoria 8,272
Queensland 5,433
New South Wales 5,054
Western Australia 2,273
South Australia 1,283
ACT (Canberra) 963
Tasmania 527
Northern Territory 14

Trove, National Library of Australia (trove.nla.gov.au) · articles in its digitised newspapers that name a Mr, Mrs or Miss Vance.

Who carried it

People named Vance,
with a public archive behind them.

  • Joseph Vance
    Joseph Vance 1786–1852 · politician
  • Doris J. Vance d. 2021 · marine biologist
  • Louisa Vance d. 1958
  • Florence Vance d. 1943
  • Annie Margaret Balfour Vance d. 1960
  • Abner Vance d. 1819

Wikidata (CC0) · portraits via Wikimedia Commons, shown cropped, in the public domain or CC0 · 10 lives in all are documented under this name.

In the public record

People named Vance,
in the records of 7 countries.

Soldiers, farmers, migrants and neighbours who carried the name and left a trace in public archives. Everyone shown here died long ago or was born more than a century ago.

United States2,990 records

2,990 records of the Vance name in the United States
  • U.S. Army enlistment records, World War II 1,474
  • U.S. veterans' cemetery records, burials to 2001 642
  • Other U.S. records 874
  1. Names engraved on the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, Washington, D.C.
    Example: U.S. war memorial
    War record Asa E. Vance

    Born 1932; from Macon County, Illinois. U.S. Army, heavy weapons infantryman; declared dead 1950 in North Korea. Buried at Camp Butler National Cemetery, Illinois.

    U.S. National Archives, Defense Casualty Analysis System (public domain); U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Gravesite Locator (CC0)
  2. A United States Selective Service registration card, 1942
    Example: U.S. registration card, 1942
    Military record Leslie M. Vance

    Born 1920 in Mississippi. Enlisted 1942 at Camp Shelby; farmer from Chickasaw County. U.S. Army veteran of World War II; died 2000, buried at Copperas Springs Cemetery, Guy, Arkansas.

    U.S. National Archives, WWII Army Enlistment Records (public domain); U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Gravesite Locator (CC0)
  3. A passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, arriving at New York in 1903
    Example: passenger manifest, 1903
    Passenger record Mary Vance

    Arrived at New York in 1881 aboard the Algeria from Liverpool and Queenstown, aged 37; matron. From England.

    U.S. National Archives, Castle Garden Immigration Center Collection, Ship Passenger Records (unrestricted)

Showing 3 of 2,990 records for Vance in the United States.

Counts: U.S. National Archives, WWII Army Enlistment Records (public domain) · U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Gravesite Locator (CC0) · NYC Department of Records & Information Services, Historical Vital Records (NYC Open Data) · U.S. National Archives, Castle Garden Immigration Center Collection, Ship Passenger Records (unrestricted) · U.S. National Archives, Flexoline Index Data File (public domain) · New York State Department of Health, Genealogical Research Death Index · U.S. National Archives, Famine Irish Passenger Records (public domain) · City of Asheville (public domain, PDDL) · U.S. National Archives, Defense Casualty Analysis System (public domain). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Vietnam Veterans Memorial, photo by U.S. Army Sgt. 1st Class Michael J. Carden, 2009 (public domain); U.S. Selective Service registration card, 1942 (public domain); Passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, New York, 1903 (public domain).

Australia538 records

538 records of the Vance name in Australia
  • Victoria passenger lists, 1839–1923 305
  • Victoria wills and probate, deaths to 2001 127
  • Other Australian records 106
  1. A marriage entry in the civil register of Tilburg, 1911
    Example: marriage register, 1911
    Marriage record Leslie Vance

    Applied for permission to marry in Van Diemen's Land in 1853. Married 1853 in Hobart, Tasmania, aged 28.

    Libraries Tasmania, Tasmanian Names Index (CC BY 4.0)
  2. An 1829 etching of convicts being rowed out to the prison ship York in Portsmouth Harbour
    Pictured: convicts going on board a prison ship, 1829
    Transportation record Robert Vance

    Transported to New South Wales aboard the Tyne, arriving 1819; certificate of freedom 1825.

    Museums of History NSW – State Archives Collection (CC BY)
  3. A passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, arriving at New York in 1903
    Example: passenger manifest, 1903
    Passenger record John Vance

    Arrived in Victoria in 1852 aboard the Revenue, aged 40; British.

    Public Record Office Victoria (CC BY 4.0)

Showing 3 of 538 records for Vance in Australia.

Counts: Public Record Office Victoria (CC BY 4.0) · Queensland State Archives (CC BY 4.0) · Libraries Tasmania, Tasmanian Names Index (CC BY 4.0) · Museums of History NSW – State Archives Collection (CC BY) · State Library of Western Australia (CC BY 4.0) · National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain) · ACT Government, Transport Canberra and City Services (CC BY 4.0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Marriage register, Tilburg, 1911, Regionaal Archief Tilburg (public domain); Prison-ship in Portsmouth Harbour, with the convicts going on board, etching by Edward William Cooke, 1829, Royal Museums Greenwich (public domain); Passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, New York, 1903 (public domain).

Canada486 records

486 records of the Vance name in Canada
  • Nova Scotia Archives name indexes 406
  • Mountain View Cemetery, Vancouver 29
  • Other Canadian records 51
  1. A page of the Berlin civil register, 1880
    Example: civil register, 1880
    Civil record David Vance

    Killed in 1956 at the Springhill No. 4 mine, Nova Scotia.

    Nova Scotia Archives. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Nova Scotia.
  2. Fairview Lawn Cemetery in Halifax, Nova Scotia
    Example: Canadian cemetery
    Burial record James Alexander Vance

    Died 1975, aged 68; buried at Brookside Cemetery, Winnipeg, Manitoba.

    City of Winnipeg. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Winnipeg.
  3. A Canadian First World War grave register card for a soldier who died of wounds in 1917
    Example: Canadian war grave register, 1917
    War record Alfred Vance

    Died in service in 1921.

    Veterans Affairs Canada. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Canada.

Showing 3 of 486 records for Vance in Canada.

Counts: Nova Scotia Archives. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Nova Scotia. · City of Vancouver. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Vancouver. · Veterans Affairs Canada. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Canada. · City of Calgary. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – City of Calgary. · City of Winnipeg. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Winnipeg. · Halifax Regional Municipality. Contains information licenced under the Open Government Licence—Halifax. · Contains information provided by the City of Waterloo under licence · National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain) · Archives of Ontario. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Ontario. Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Civil register, Berlin, 1880, Landesarchiv Berlin (CC0); Fairview Lawn Cemetery, Halifax, photo by Edgar El (CC BY 3.0); Canadian First World War circumstances-of-death register (scan by Scottgraham87 via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0).

New Zealand14 records

14 records of the Vance name in New Zealand
  • Christchurch City cemetery records 10
  • Thames-Coromandel District cemetery records 3
  • Marlborough District cemetery records 1
  1. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record Mary Ann Vance

    Died 1929, aged 77; buried at Sydenham Cemetery, Christchurch, Canterbury.

    Christchurch City Council (CC BY 4.0)
  2. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record Esther Eileen Vance

    Died 1975, aged 70; buried at Omaka Cemetery, Marlborough.

    Marlborough District Council (CC BY 4.0)
  3. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record Louisa Pearl Vance

    Buried in 1958 at Buffalo Cemetery, Thames-Coromandel District, Waikato, aged 37.

    Thames-Coromandel District Council (CC BY 4.0)

Showing 3 of 14 records for Vance in New Zealand.

Counts: Christchurch City Council (CC BY 4.0) · Thames-Coromandel District Council (CC BY 4.0) · Marlborough District Council (CC BY 4.0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Burial register of Newtown, Montgomeryshire, 1858, National Library of Wales (CC0).

United Kingdom11 records

11 records of the Vance name in the United Kingdom
  • War Office casualty lists, 1917–1919, among the dead 6
  • Stirling Council burial records 5
  1. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record John Vance

    Buried in 1925 at Ballengeich Cemetery, Stirling, Scotland, aged 60.

    Stirling Council. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.
  2. A First World War roll of honour of the staff of C. & E. Morton Ltd
    Example: roll of honour, 1914–1919
    War record J. Vance

    Yorkshire Regiment. Listed among the dead in the War Office casualty list of 1917.

    National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain)
  3. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record John Vance

    Buried in 1940 at Ballengeich Cemetery, Stirling, Scotland, aged 51.

    Stirling Council. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.

Showing 3 of 11 records for Vance in the United Kingdom.

Counts: National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain) · Stirling Council. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Burial register of Newtown, Montgomeryshire, 1858, National Library of Wales (CC0); C. & E. Morton Ltd roll of honour, 1914–1919, photo by Adrian S Pye via Geograph (CC BY-SA 2.0).

Netherlands4 records

4 records of the Vance name in the Netherlands
  • Dutch population registers 3
  • Dutch civil registers (births, marriages, deaths) 1
  1. A page of the 1910 United States census, Milwaukee
    Example: U.S. census, 1910
    Population register Aaron Blain Vance

    In the population register of Gouda; missionary, born 1912 in Fairview Utah U.s.a.

    Open Archives, Streekarchief Midden-Holland (CC BY 4.0)
  2. A page of the Berlin civil register, 1880
    Example: civil register, 1880
    Death record Joan Frances Vance

    Died 1960 in Laren, aged 41.

    Open Archives, Noord-Hollands Archief (CC BY 4.0)
  3. A page of the 1910 United States census, Milwaukee
    Example: U.S. census, 1910
    Population register Maria Jacoba van Ce

    In the population register of Utrecht; born in Utrecht.

    Open Archives, Het Utrechts Archief (CC BY 4.0)

Showing 3 of 4 records for Vance in the Netherlands.

Counts: Open Archives (CC BY 4.0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: U.S. census of 1910, Milwaukee (public domain); Civil register, Berlin, 1880, Landesarchiv Berlin (CC0).

France3 records

3 records of the Vance name in France France's national death register, 1970–2001
  1. A page of the death register of Nice, 1930
    Example: French death register, 1930
    Death record Jean Vance

    Born 1901 in Meaux; died 1994 in Maisoncelles-en-Brie (Seine-et-Marne).

    Insee, Fichier des personnes décédées (Licence Ouverte)
  2. A page of the death register of Nice, 1930
    Example: French death register, 1930
    Death record Marguerite Amelie Emilie Vance

    Born 1900 in Meaux (Seine-et-Marne); died 1982 in Orléans (Loiret).

    Insee, Fichier des personnes décédées (Licence Ouverte)

Showing 2 of 3 records for Vance in France.

Counts: Insee, Fichier des personnes décédées (Licence Ouverte). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Death register of Nice, 1930, Archives départementales des Alpes-Maritimes (public domain).

Nearby in the index

Surnames next to Vance.

When the index is not enough

This page says where Vance is.
A volume says what happened to it.

Every page in the index is free and stays free. The Heritage Volume is the long form: the full paper trail, the arms, the crossing — bound, and yours.

See the Vance volume
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