Explore the Family Name Vail
The meaning of Vail
1. English: occupational name from Old French de la veille ‘of the watch, watchman’, with loss of de; compare Wake. There has been some confusion with the topographic name Vale and the nickname Veal. 2. Scottish: shortened and altered form of McPhail, Anglicized form of Gaelic Mac Phàil ‘son of Paul’. 3. Irish: variant of Veale.
Dictionary of American Family Names, 2nd edition, © Oxford University Press, 2022.
How common is the last name Vail in the United States?
Based on the Decennial U.S. Census, the popularity of the surname Vail saw minor fluctuations between 2000 and 2010. In 2000, Vail was ranked as the 3270th most popular surname with a count of 10,042 individuals carrying the name. By 2010, the rank had slightly dropped to 3385, representing a decrease of 3.52%. However, interestingly, the actual count of people with the last name Vail increased by 5.1% during this period to 10,554. Thus, while becoming less popular in relative ranking, the surname still grew in absolute numbers.
| 2000 | 2010 | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #3,270 | #3,385 | -3.52% |
| Count | 10,042 | 10,554 | 5.1% |
| Proportion per 100k | 3.72 | 3.58 | -3.76% |
Race and Ethnicity of people with the last name Vail
The ethnicity data from the Decennial U.S. Census reveals shifts in the ethnic identities associated with the surname Vail between 2000 and 2010. The largest group identifying with this surname remained those of White ethnicity, although their proportion dropped from 89.87% in 2000 to 86.42% in 2010. Meanwhile, the proportion of individuals of Hispanic identity experienced significant growth, more than doubling from 2.54% to 5.22%. Asian/Pacific Islander and Two or more races categories also saw increases of 27.5% and 38.03%, respectively. Conversely, the proportion of American Indian and Alaskan Native decreased by 15.38%, while the Black community saw a slight increase of 1.86%.
| 2000 | 2010 | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| White | 89.87% | 86.42% | -3.84% |
| Hispanic | 2.54% | 5.22% | 105.51% |
| Black | 4.85% | 4.94% | 1.86% |
| Two or More Races | 1.42% | 1.96% | 38.03% |
| Asian/Pacific Islander | 0.8% | 1.02% | 27.5% |
| American Indian and Alaskan Native | 0.52% | 0.44% | -15.38% |
Vail ancestry composition
23andMe computes an ancestry breakdown for each customer. People may have ancestry from just one population or they may have ancestry from several populations. The most commonly-observed ancestry found in people with the surname Vail is British & Irish, which comprises 49.9% of all ancestry found in people with the surname. The next two most common ancestries are French & German (25.7%) and Eastern European (4.6%). Additional ancestries include Italian, Scandinavian, Spanish & Portuguese, Ashkenazi Jewish, and Indigenous American.
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| ANCESTRY BREAKDOWN | COMPOSITION |
|---|---|
| British & Irish | 49.9% |
| French & German | 25.7% |
| Eastern European | 4.6% |
| Other | 19.8% |
Possible origins of the surname Vail
Your DNA provides clues about where your recent ancestors may have lived. Having many distant relatives in the same location suggests that you may all share common ancestry there. Locations with many distant relatives can also be places where people have migrated recently, such as large cities. If a large number of individuals who share your surname have distant relatives in a specific area, it could indicate a connection between your surname and that location, stemming from either recent ancestral ties or migration.
Based on 23andMe data, people with last name Vail have recent ancestry locations in the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and Ireland.
| RECENT ANCESTRY Location | Percentage |
|---|---|
| Greater London, United Kingdom | 87.80% |
| Greater Manchester, United Kingdom | 87.80% |
| Merseyside, United Kingdom | 87.50% |
| Glasgow City, United Kingdom | 87.10% |
| Tyne And Wear, United Kingdom | 87.10% |
What Vail haplogroups can tell you
Haplogroups are genetic population groups that share a common ancestor on either your paternal or maternal line. These paternal and maternal haplogroups shed light on your genetic ancestry and help tell the story of your family.
The top paternal haplogroup of people with the surname Vail is R-Z209, which is predominantly found among people with European ancestry. Haplogroup R-Z209 is descended from haplogroup R-M343. Other common haplogroups include I-PF3892 and R-DF98, which are predominantly found among people with European and European ancestry. Other surnames with similar common haplogroups are: Burke, Bernard, Vickers, Backus, Burk, Shelby, Hardin, Clemens, Winters, Manuel.
The most common maternal haplogroups of people with Vail surname are: H1, K1a, H. These most commonly trace back to individuals of European ancestry.
Paternal Haplogroup Origins R-M343Your maternal lineage may be linked to Marie Antoinette
Because it is so dominant in the general European population, haplogroup H also appears quite frequently in the continent's royal houses. Marie Antoinette, an Austrian Hapsburg who married into the French royal family, inherited the haplogroup from her maternal ancestors. So did Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, whose recorded genealogy traces his female line to Bavaria. Scientists also discovered that famed 16th century astronomer Nicolaus Copernicus traced his maternal lineages to haplogroup H.
What do people with the surname Vail have in common?
Spoiler alert: it's complicated. People with the same last name are usually no more genetically similar than a randomly sampled group of people from the same population. That said, people with the same surname are more likely to have similar ancestries than randomly sampled individuals. The reason is the tendency of people with similar cultural or geographical backgrounds to preferentially mate with one another. That's why people who share a surname may be more likely to share traits and tendencies in common than people within the general population. Check out the percentages below to see the prevalences of tastes, habits, and traits of people with your surname compared with prevalences among 23andMe users.
Preferences
Chocolate Ice Cream
Prefers chocolate flavored ice cream over other flavors.
"Vail" Surname 31.5%
23andMe Users 41.3%
Traits
Misophonia
When sounds made by others, like the sound of chewing or yawning, provoke strong emotional reactions in an individual.
"Vail" Surname 20.2%
23andMe Users 27.9%
Habits
Sugary Drink
Drinks one or more sugary drinks per day.
"Vail" Surname 28.6%
23andMe Users 21.1%
Wellness
Migraine
A severe headache characterized by intense pain, sensitivity to light and sound, and often accompanied by nausea and vomiting.
"Vail" Surname 13.7%
23andMe Users 16.4%
Are health conditions linked to the last name Vail?
The short answer is that, if there is an association between surname and health, it's usually more about your ancestry than your name. Individuals with a given surname are no more genetically similar than the general population but often have similar ancestries. The populations of people associated with those shared ancestries often have sets of genetic variations, also known as alleles, in common. Some of those alleles are associated with a greater likelihood of developing certain diseases.
Disease variant frequency by ancestry
Disease allele frequencies in populations associated with the surname Vail are shown below. Important Note: not everyone with a disease allele will develop these health condition