Boy · #978 in 2026

Vance

Name: Popularity of the name Vance in U.S. births, 1880–2026
Creator: U.S. Social Security Administration
License: https://www.ssa.gov/foia/
Keywords: Vance, baby name, popularity, U.S., SSA, rankings

Vance is a masculine given name, a transferred use of an English surname meaning “dweller of the marshland.” It ranked among the top 1,000 names given to newborn American boys during the 20th and early 21st centuries. It declined in popularity after 2024. The name has fallen out of fashion.

English

Current Rank

#978

Peak Rank

#328 (1969)

Total Babies

27K

5-Yr Trend

-3%

1893

First Year

1988

Last Year

1915

Peak Year

#2900

Peak Rank

138

Total Count

Years Active

Meaning & Origin of Vance

What this name means, where it came from, and how it has traveled across cultures.

Source: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 3.0). Read more →

Cultural Origins (via Behind the Name)

English

The Story of Vance

Vance first appeared in U.S. Social Security Administration records as a baby boy name in 1880, with 7 babies given the name that year. The name hit its high-water mark in 1969: 555 births, good for #328 nationwide. As of 2026, Vance ranks #978 for baby boys with 230 births, holding steady (-3%). All told, over 27K Americans have carried the name since 1880, from the 1880s to the 2020s.

Popularity Over Time

Popularity by State

Top 10

11-50

51-100

101-500

500+

No data

Variants & Related Forms of Vance

Foreign forms, alternate spellings, and nicknames that share roots with Vance. Linked entries have a profile on Peek a Name.

Notable people named Vance

A small selection from Wikipedia. Tap "Read more" below to see the full list on Wikipedia.

Vance Amory (1949–2022), Premier of Nevis
Vance Bourjaily (1922–2010), American novelist, playwright, journalist and essayist
Vance D. Brand (born 1931), NASA astronaut
Vance Breese (1904–1973), American aviation engineer and test pilot
Vance DeGeneres (born 1954), American musician, actor and comedian.
Vance Dixon (1901–?), American musician
Vance Hartke (1919–2003), American politician
Vance Johnson (born 1963), American retired National Football League player and long jumper

Source: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 3.0). Read more →

Where is Vance most common?

Predicted country distribution based on naming patterns globally.

United States
76%
Canada
12%
United Kingdom
4%
TW
4%
Australia
4%

Source: Nationalize.io . Probabilities are global naming-pattern estimates, not strict counts.

Names that sound like Vance

Phonetically similar names — useful when Vance is the vibe but a different syllable count or letter feel might suit better. Linked entries have a profile on Peek a Name.

Vans
Vince
Vence
Vannes
Veins
Van
Vines
Viens
Vanes
Vanna
Vana
Vass

Source: Datamuse . Phonetic similarity ranking, not curated.

Frequently Asked Questions about Vance

What does the name Vance mean?

What is the origin of the name Vance?

Vance has roots in the following cultural and linguistic traditions: English.

How popular is Vance in 2026?

In 2026, Vance ranks #978 among boys' names in the U.S., with 230 babies given the name that year.

When was Vance most popular?

Vance reached its peak popularity in 1969, ranking #328 that year with 555 babies given the name.

In which U.S. states is Vance most popular?

Vance has historically been most popular in Wyoming, North Carolina, Hawaii. Rankings vary year to year, but these states show the strongest concentration of births named Vance.

Is Vance a unisex name?

In U.S. Social Security records, Vance is primarily a boy's name. We don't have meaningful data for it as a girl's name.

What names go well with Vance?

Names that share a similar style or popularity range with Vance include Dudley, Rusty, Ari. These pairings are based on rank proximity and naming era in U.S. data.

What are nicknames or variants of Vance?

Common variants and related forms of Vance include Van. These cover foreign-language equivalents, alternate spellings, and short forms.

About the name Vance

Vance is a boy baby name tracked by the U.S. Social Security Administration. It first appeared in SSA records in 1880 and has accumulated 27K births in the dataset. Vance's peak popularity came in 1969 when it ranked #328. Use the chart and map above to compare Vance's trajectory across years and U.S. states, or browse the related names section to discover similar choices.

Continue exploring

Data sources

Birth statistics (counts, ranks, years 1880–2026) — U.S. Social Security Administration . Predictions for years not yet released by SSA are computed by Peek a Name from historical trends; we update with official data as soon as it ships.
Etymology, cultural origins, and related forms — Behind the Name (used under their public API terms).
Meaning prose and editorial summary — Wikipedia article extracts, licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0 .
Predicted nationality distribution — Nationalize.io .
Phonetically similar names — Datamuse .

Peek a Name aggregates and presents the above data for informational purposes. Statistical predictions and external attributions are clearly labelled where shown; we make no guarantee of accuracy beyond what each source provides.