Given name & surname
Vance
“from the marshland”
Vance is used as a given name and a surname. One English interpretation is “from the marshland.”
Meaning & origin
What it means
One English interpretation is “from the marshland.”
Where it comes from
An origin associated with this spelling is English.
The story
Published U.S. birth records include this spelling as early as 1880. This is the earliest published observation available here, rather than a date for the name’s origin.
From dated birth records
Vance through the years
- Babies since 1880
- 27,150
- 27,012 boys · 138 girls
- Most popular year
- 1969
- 555 babies
- 2025
- 200
- #1,080 for boys
- 2021–25 vs 2016–20
- −5%
- Steady
Where it’s given
By the numbers
In 2025, this name appeared in 200 U.S. birth records for boys, ranking No. 1,080 among boys’ names. Average annual use for boys was 5.4% lower in 2021–2025 than in 2016–2020. Its largest published annual count for boys was 555 in 1969. In 2025, California had the largest reported state-level birth count for boys with this name (19). Published U.S. population figures for this spelling include 17,227 as a first name in 2020; 44,920 as a surname in 2020.
From Social Security birth records and U.S. Census name counts for this exact spelling. Other spellings are counted separately.
Vance’s family of names
In English usage, Vance has a diminutive in Van. Vance has a related form in Vanse.
Inner ring: spellings · outer: nicknames and forms.
Nicknames & forms 2
Diminutives, pet forms, short forms and variants used alongside the name.
Spellings & scripts 1
The same name written differently, including transliterations into other scripts.
People named Vance
- Vance D. Brandtest pilot and NASA astronautborn 1931
- Pinto ColvigAmerican voice actor (1892–1967)
- Vanče ŠikovMacedonian football playerborn 1985
- Vance PackardAmerican journalist (1914–1996)
- Vance McAllisterAmerican businessman and politicianborn 1974
- Vance AmoryPremier of Nevis, former cricketer (1949–2022)
- Vance DrummondAustralian air force officer (1927-1967)
- Vance ColvigAmerican actor (1918–1991)
- Vance LawAmerican baseball player and coach (born 1956)
Listed by how widely each person is written about, which says nothing about the name itself.
Appears in
Similar names
If you love Vance, these share its style, era, origin or sound, from outside its own family.
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