Given name & surname · also Hebrew
Vidal
“life”·“a giver of life”
Vidal is used as a given name and a surname. Interpretations include “life” (Hebrew) and “a giver of life” (Spanish). These may reflect different naming traditions.
Meaning & origin
What it means
Interpretations include “life” (Hebrew) and “a giver of life” (Spanish). These may reflect different naming traditions.
Where it comes from
An origin associated with this spelling is Hebrew.
How it developed
In Spanish use, Vidal is used as a form of ViTaLe.
The story
Published U.S. birth records include this spelling as early as 1909. This is the earliest published observation available here, rather than a date for the name’s origin.
From dated birth records
Vidal through the years
- Babies since 1880
- 4,247
- 4,237 boys · 10 girls
- Most popular year
- 1972
- 165 babies
- 2025
- 39
- #3,121 for boys
- 2021–25 vs 2016–20
- −1%
- Steady
Where it’s given
By the numbers
In 2025, this name appeared in 39 U.S. birth records for boys, ranking No. 3,121 among boys’ names. Average annual use for boys was 1.0% lower in 2021–2025 than in 2016–2020. Its largest published annual count for boys was 160 in 1972. In 2025, Texas had the largest reported state-level birth count for boys with this name (10). Published U.S. population figures for this spelling include 6,058 as a first name in 2020; 18,771 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.
Vidal’s family of names
In Spanish usage, Vidal has a conventional equivalent in the French form Vital. Vidal has a related form in Videl. Vidal is a form of Hyam.
Inner ring: spellings · middle: nicknames and forms · outer: across languages.
Nicknames & forms 9
Diminutives, pet forms, short forms and variants used alongside the name.
- Videlvariant
- Vidalllikely variant
- Vidasvariant
- Vidaliovariant
- Vidalovariant
- Videlovariant
- Videliovariant
- Vitalvariant · French
Show 1 moreShow fewer
Spellings & scripts 2
The same name written differently, including transliterations into other scripts.
Across languages 1
Equivalents and cognates in other languages, plus older forms it grew from.
See also 3
Names our sources mention alongside this one. They are related in story or meaning, not forms of this name.
People named Vidal
- Vidal SassoonBritish hairstylist (1928–2012)
- Vidal SanabriaParaguayan footballerborn 1966
- Vidal de Canellas1190–1252
- Vidal RamosBrazilian politician (1866-1954)
- Vidal Marín FernándezGrand Inquisitor (1653-1709)
- Vidal FernandezAmerican soccer player-coachborn 1958
- Vidal NuñoAmerican baseball playerborn 1987
Listed by how widely each person is written about, which says nothing about the name itself.
Similar names
If you love Vidal, these share its style, era, origin or sound, from outside its own family.
Toussaint
“all saints”
>99% boys
Tal
“covered with the morning's dew”
85% boys · 15% girls
Jermaine
“woman from Germany” · “a man from Germany”
>99% boys
Tavares
Tavares is a surname from Portuguese. It is used in English, French, and Portuguese.
>99% boys
Marlon
“resembling a little hawk”
>99% boys
Marichal
Marichal is a surname from Spanish.
>99% boys
Bartholomew
“son of Talmai” · “the son of the farmer”
>99% boys
Antwan
“a flourishing man; from an ancient Roman family”
>99% boys