The Vaughan surname

In the 2010 U.S. Census, 38,830 people carried this name — #893 among all U.S. surnames, about 1 in every 7,600 people counted. That is up 3% from 37,591 in 2000.

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What the name means

The meaning of the Vaughan surname

Borrowed from Welsh Vychan, from bychan, diminutive of bach (“little”).

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

As an English and Welsh surname

An early record he cites: William Vachan, Shropshire, 1273 — Hundred Rolls.

His entry covers Vaughan and Vaughn.

From Charles W. Bardsley, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames, with Special American Instances (London: Henry Frowde, 1901), p. 780 · public domain.

In Ireland’s birth registers, 1890

Ireland registered 35 births for the Vaughan name in 1890.

They were registered in all four provinces, most of all in Munster. By the Registrar-General’s own method — births multiplied by 44.38 — that is about 1,600 people bearing the name in Ireland at the time. The Registrar-General’s note on the name: “Cork, Clare, Limerick, Anfrim, and Down.”

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

Where they were born, 1890

Munster 18
Ulster 9
Leinster 5
Connacht 3

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

In Argentina’s national register

At least 58 people named Vaughan live in Argentina.

RENAPER only publishes a name in a province when more than ten people there share it, so the real number is higher. Most of them live in Neuquén.

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

Where they live today

Neuquén 27
Buenos Aires Province 17
Chubut 14

RENAPER (National Registry of Persons, Argentina), surnames of residents by province, December 2021 — CC BY 4.0.

In France’s civil register

France’s register of deaths holds 46 people named Vaughan.

Most of them — 30 — were born outside France. Those born in France came from 7 départements, most often Seine-Maritime.

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

Where they were born

Born outside France 30
Seine-Maritime 6
Yvelines 3
Côtes-d’Armor 2
Paris 2
Loire-Atlantique 1
Morbihan 1
Nord 1

Fichier des personnes décédées, INSEE — Licence Ouverte 2.0 · deaths recorded in France since 1970, by place of birth.

In Switzerland’s population statistics

35 people named Vaughan live in Switzerland.

They live in 7 of Switzerland’s 26 cantons, most of all in Geneva.

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

Where they live today

Geneva 7
Zurich 7
Vaud 6
Basel-Stadt 4
Fribourg 4
Zug 4
Aargau 3

Swiss Federal Statistical Office (FSO), «Surnames of the permanent resident population by canton», 2025, opendata.swiss/en/dataset/nachnamen-der-standigen-wohnbevolkerung-nach-kanton3 · names with fewer than 3 bearers in a canton are not published.

In the Nordic population registers

34 people named Vaughan is counted in Sweden.

Sweden’s figure is from 31 December 2022, the last count Statistics Sweden published.

Counted, by country

Sweden (2022) 34

Own calculations based on data from Statistics Sweden (SCB), surnames with at least two bearers, 31 December 2022 — CC BY 4.0 (names with 20 or more bearers shown).

Among the farmers of England and Wales, 1880s

Vaughan was found among the farmers of 5 counties.

It was most frequent in North Wales: 55 in every 10,000 farmers there — about 1 in 182. Guppy counted the farmers listed in each county’s directory and recorded a name only where it reached about 7 in every 10,000; where it does not appear, it was rarer than that, not absent.

Where it concentrates, on the map

Per 10,000 farmers, by county

North Wales 55
Shropshire 34
Monmouthshire 20
Herefordshire 17
South Wales 11

H. B. Guppy, «Homes of Family Names in Great Britain» (London, 1890), alphabetical list of English and Welsh names — public domain · farmers in Kelly’s Post Office Directories of the 1880s, per 10,000 farmers in each county.

In Scotland’s registers today

Vaughan was recorded 20 times in Scotland’s registers of births, marriages and deaths in 2025.

That made it the 1147th most common name in those registers, shared with others on the same count. In 1975, the first year of the series, the count was 24. 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

In 1790, Vaughan was counted together with Vaughn: 235 families in all.

Each family is counted by its head. About 1,405 people lived in those households, 6 to a family on average. The census counted these spellings together: Vaughn, Vaughan, Vaughen, Vaughon, Vaughown, Vaugon, Vaun, Vaune, Veaughn, Vowan. 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

Virginia 86
Rhode Island 27
North Carolina 27
Massachusetts 26
South Carolina 22
New York 12
Pennsylvania 10
Maryland 10
Connecticut 8
Vermont 6
Maine 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

Vaughan in American newspapers,
1908.

Newspaper page from The Richmond Palladium And Sun-telegram carrying the name Vaughan
The Richmond Palladium And Sun-telegram 1908-04-15
Newspaper page from The Richmond Palladium And Sun-telegram carrying the name Vaughan
The Richmond Palladium And Sun-telegram 1908-04-14
Newspaper page from The Richmond Palladium And Sun-telegram carrying the name Vaughan
The Richmond Palladium And Sun-telegram 1908-04-16

Chronicling America, Library of Congress — digitised newspapers in the public domain · 7,924 pages in all carry the name.

In print

Vaughan in Australian newspapers,
1820s–2000s.

109,518 articles name a Mr, Mrs or Miss Vaughan. The most, 26,288, date from the 1910s. New South Wales has the most articles, but weighed against how much of each state’s press from the same decades has been digitised, the name stands out most in South Australia, at 2.1 times its expected share.

Articles, by state

New South Wales 31,779
South Australia 27,165
Victoria 21,150
Queensland 16,255
Western Australia 7,121
Tasmania 5,114
ACT (Canberra) 620
Northern Territory 167

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

Who carried it

People named Vaughan,
with a public archive behind them.

  • Richard Vaughan
    Richard Vaughan 1550–1607 · bishop
  • Rowland Vaughan
    Rowland Vaughan 1590–1667 · poet
  • Richard Vaughan, 2nd Earl of Carbery
    Richard Vaughan, 2nd Earl of Carbery 1600–1686 · politician
  • John Vaughan
    John Vaughan 1603–1674 · judge
  • John Vaughan, 3rd Earl of Carbery
    John Vaughan, 3rd Earl of Carbery 1639–1713 · politician

Wikidata (CC0) · portraits via Wikimedia Commons, shown cropped — Rowland Vaughan: Llywelyn2000, CC BY-SA 4.0 (creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0); the others are in the public domain or CC0 · 198 lives in all are documented under this name.

In the public record

People named Vaughan,
in the records of 9 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 States4,435 records

4,435 records of the Vaughan name in the United States
  • U.S. Army enlistment records, World War II 1,473
  • New York City birth, marriage and death certificates 887
  • Other U.S. records 2,075
  1. Names engraved on the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, Washington, D.C.
    Example: U.S. war memorial
    War record Robert Lester Vaughan

    Born 1949; from Ridgefield, Washington. U.S. Marine Corps, rifleman; killed in action 1967 in Quang Tri, South Vietnam. Buried at Willamette National Cemetery, Oregon.

    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 Walker Vaughan

    Born 1913 in Missouri. Enlisted 1943 at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas; mechanic from Pettis County. U.S. Army veteran of World War II; died 2000, buried at Hopewell Cemetery, Sedalia, Missouri.

    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 Susan Vaughan

    Arrived at New York in 1865 aboard the Saint Mark from Liverpool, aged 20; servant. From Clare, Ireland.

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

Showing 3 of 4,435 records for Vaughan in the United States.

Counts: U.S. National Archives, WWII Army Enlistment Records (public domain) · 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. Department of Veterans Affairs, Gravesite Locator (CC0) · 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) · U.S. National Archives, Defense Casualty Analysis System (public domain) · City of Asheville (public domain, PDDL). 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).

Australia2,257 records

2,257 records of the Vaughan name in Australia
  • Victoria passenger lists, 1839–1923 1,134
  • Victoria wills and probate, deaths to 2001 418
  • Other Australian records 705
  1. 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 Ann Vaughan

    Transported to Van Diemen's Land aboard the Elizabeth & Henry, sailing from London in 1846. Native of Sligo. Applied for permission to marry in Van Diemen's Land in 1848. Married 1848 in Hobart, Tasmania.

    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 Richard Vaughan

    Transported to Van Diemen's Land aboard the Neptune, sailing from London in 1837. Applied for permission to marry in Van Diemen's Land in 1847. Married 1847 in Launceston, Tasmania, aged 31.

    Libraries Tasmania, Tasmanian Names Index (CC BY 4.0)
  3. A petition to the probate court of St. Louis, 1848
    Example: probate petition, 1848
    Probate record Frederick Vaughan

    Died 1907 in Launceston, Tasmania. Will registered in Tasmania in 1907.

    Libraries Tasmania, Tasmanian Names Index (CC BY 4.0)

Showing 3 of 2,257 records for Vaughan in Australia.

Counts: Public Record Office Victoria (CC BY 4.0) · Libraries Tasmania, Tasmanian Names Index (CC BY 4.0) · Queensland State Archives (CC BY 4.0) · Museums of History NSW – State Archives Collection (CC BY) · State Library of Western Australia (CC BY 4.0) · ACT Government, Transport Canberra and City Services (CC BY 4.0) · National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain) · City of Ballarat, Avenue of Honour Plaques (CC BY 3.0 AU). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Prison-ship in Portsmouth Harbour, with the convicts going on board, etching by Edward William Cooke, 1829, Royal Museums Greenwich (public domain); Petition to the probate court, St. Louis, 1848, Missouri Historical Society (public domain).

Canada845 records

845 records of the Vaughan name in Canada
  • Nova Scotia Archives name indexes 717
  • Canadian Virtual War Memorial 29
  • Other Canadian records 99
  1. The first page of an emigration file from Gündlingen, Baden, 1883
    Example: German emigration file, 1883
    Emigration record Basan Vaughan

    Left New York in 1783 aboard the Grand Dutchess of Russia, bound for Port Roseway, aged 25.

    Nova Scotia Archives. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Nova Scotia.
  2. A passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, arriving at New York in 1903
    Example: passenger manifest, 1903
    Passenger record Albert Vaughan

    Came to Ontario in 1878 aboard the Caspian, bound for Hamilton, Ontario; English.

    Archives of Ontario. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Ontario.
  3. Fairview Lawn Cemetery in Halifax, Nova Scotia
    Example: Canadian cemetery
    Burial record Miriam Lee Vaughan

    Buried in 1986 at St. Mary's Cemetery, Calgary, Alberta, aged 77.

    City of Calgary. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – City of Calgary.

Showing 3 of 845 records for Vaughan in Canada.

Counts: Nova Scotia Archives. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Nova Scotia. · Veterans Affairs Canada. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Canada. · City of Vancouver. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Vancouver. · City of Calgary. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – City of Calgary. · Halifax Regional Municipality. Contains information licenced under the Open Government Licence—Halifax. · Archives of Ontario. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Ontario. · City of Winnipeg. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Winnipeg. · National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain) · City of Niagara Falls. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Niagara Falls. · Contains information provided by the City of Waterloo under licence. Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Emigration file, Gündlingen, 1883, Landesarchiv Baden-Württemberg, Staatsarchiv Freiburg B 694/1 Nr. 1389 (CC BY 4.0); Passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, New York, 1903 (public domain); Fairview Lawn Cemetery, Halifax, photo by Edgar El (CC BY 3.0).

United Kingdom130 records

130 records of the Vaughan name in the United Kingdom
  • War Office casualty lists, 1917–1919, among the dead 66
  • Welsh wills index cards 43
  • Other British records 21
  1. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record Sarah Vaughan

    Buried in 1913 at Ballengeich Cemetery, Stirling, Scotland, aged 47.

    Stirling Council. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.
  2. A petition to the probate court of St. Louis, 1848
    Example: probate petition, 1848
    Probate record David William Vaughan

    Will proved in 1927; of Llanelly.

    National Library of Wales, Wills Index Cards (CC0)
  3. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record Eleanor Vaughan

    Buried in 1802 at St James's burial ground, Euston, London, aged 55.

    MOLA and HS2, St James's burial ground data. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.

Showing 3 of 130 records for Vaughan in the United Kingdom.

Counts: National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain) · National Library of Wales, Wills Index Cards (CC0) · MOLA and HS2, St James's burial ground data. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. · National Library of Scotland, Rolls of Honour (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); Petition to the probate court, St. Louis, 1848, Missouri Historical Society (public domain).

New Zealand35 records

35 records of the Vaughan name in New Zealand
  • Christchurch City cemetery records 28
  • Waimakariri District cemetery records, Canterbury 5
  • Other New Zealand records 2
  1. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record Elizabeth Jane Isobel Vaughan

    Died 1959, aged 72; buried at Ruru Lawn, 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 William Vaughan

    Died 1912, aged 62; 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 Allan Cave Vaughan

    Died 1984; buried at Rangiora Lawn Cemetery, Canterbury.

    Waimakariri District Council (CC BY 4.0)

Showing 3 of 35 records for Vaughan in New Zealand.

Counts: Christchurch City Council (CC BY 4.0) · Waimakariri District Council (CC BY 4.0) · National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain) · 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).

France11 records

11 records of the Vaughan 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 Henri Ernest Vaughan

    Born 1905 in Sainte-Marie-au-Bosc; died 1977 in Le Havre (Seine-Maritime).

    Insee, Fichier des personnes décédées (Licence Ouverte)
  2. A page of the death register of Nice, 1930
    Example: French death register, 1930
    Death record Helen Rosemary Vaughan

    Born 1973 in Great Britain; died 1994 in Angers (Maine-et-Loire).

    Insee, Fichier des personnes décédées (Licence Ouverte)

Showing 2 of 11 records for Vaughan 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).

Netherlands8 records

8 records of the Vaughan name in the Netherlands
  • Dutch population registers 6
  • Dutch civil registers (births, marriages, deaths) 1
  • Dutch church registers before 1811 1
  1. A marriage entry in the civil register of Tilburg, 1911
    Example: marriage register, 1911
    Marriage record Robert Vaughan

    Married in 1946 in Krimpen aan den Ijssel; "machinebouwer".

    Open Archives, Streekarchief Midden-Holland (CC BY 4.0)
  2. A marriage entry in the civil register of Tilburg, 1911
    Example: marriage register, 1911
    Marriage record Rebecca Vaughan

    Married in 1712 in Rotterdam.

    Open Archives, Stadsarchief Rotterdam (CC BY 4.0)

Showing 2 of 8 records for Vaughan in the Netherlands.

Counts: Open Archives (CC BY 4.0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Marriage register, Tilburg, 1911, Regionaal Archief Tilburg (public domain).

Ireland6 records

6 records of the Vaughan name in Ireland County Galway graveyard records
  1. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record Martin Vaughan

    Died 1972, aged 72; buried at Lettermullen Cúigeal Leitir Mealláin, Co. Galway.

    Galway County Council (CC BY 4.0)
  2. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record Bridie Vaughan

    Died 1988, aged 75; buried at Renvyle, Co. Galway.

    Galway County Council (CC BY 4.0)

Showing 2 of 6 records for Vaughan in Ireland.

Counts: Galway County 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).

Belgium1 record

1 record of the Vaughan name in Belgium Belgian civil registers (births, marriages, deaths)
  1. A page of the Berlin civil register, 1880
    Example: civil register, 1880
    Death record Samuel Vaughan

    Died 1909 in Gent.

    Open Archives, Archief Gent (CC BY 4.0)

Counts: Open Archives (CC BY 4.0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Civil register, Berlin, 1880, Landesarchiv Berlin (CC0).

Nearby in the index

Surnames next to Vaughan.

When the index is not enough

This page says where Vaughan 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.

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