Explore the Family Name Vigilante

The meaning of Vigilante

Italian (southern): occupational name from vigilante ‘guard, watchman’, or from the personal name Vigilante, from vigilare ‘to watch’. Some characteristic forenames: Italian Angelo, Antonio, Carmella, Domenico, Elvira, Guerrino, Lazaro, Vivianna.

Dictionary of American Family Names, 2nd edition, © Oxford University Press, 2022.

How common is the last name Vigilante in the United States?

Based on the Decennial U.S. Census data, the surname Vigilante experienced a slight decrease in popularity between 2000 and 2010. Its rank fell marginally from 31,530 to 31,790, marking a change of -0.82. However, the count of individuals bearing this name increased by 4.61 percent, growing from 694 in 2000 to 726 in 2010. Furthermore, the proportion of people with the Vigilante surname per 100k population also dipped slightly, from 0.26 in 2000 to 0.25 in 2010, a change of -3.85.

	2000	2010	Change
Rank	#31,530	#31,790	-0.82%
Count	694	726	4.61%
Proportion per 100k	0.26	0.25	-3.85%

Race and Ethnicity of people with the last name Vigilante

The ethnicity associated with the Vigilante surname saw variable changes between 2000 and 2010, according to the Decennial U.S. Census. The majority of bearers of this surname were identified as White, although the percentage dropped from 94.24 in 2000 to 92.98 in 2010. The Hispanic demographic increased by 37.23 percent, up from 2.31 in 2000 to 3.17 in 2010. Meanwhile, the Asian/Pacific Islander category saw a rise of 12.58 percent. Those who identified with two or more races decreased significantly from 1.87 to 0.96 during this period. The Black demographic was not represented in 2000 but made up 1.10 percent in 2010. The American Indian and Alaskan Native category remained unchanged at 0.00 for both years.

	2000	2010	Change
White	94.24%	92.98%	-1.34%
Hispanic	2.31%	3.17%	37.23%
Asian/Pacific Islander	1.59%	1.79%	12.58%
Black	0%	1.1%	0%
Two or More Races	1.87%	0.96%	-48.66%
American Indian and Alaskan Native	0%	0%	0%