Vaughan
What is the origin of the last name Vaughan?
Meaning and origin
The last name Vaughan is of Welsh origin and is derived from the Welsh personal name "Fychan" or "Vychan," meaning "small" or "junior." It is a patronymic surname, meaning it originated as a way to identify individuals by their father's name.
The longer story
The last name Vaughan is of Welsh origin and is derived from the Welsh personal name "Fychan" or "Vychan," meaning "small" or "junior." It is a patronymic surname, meaning it originated as a way to identify individuals by their father's name. In this case, the surname indicates that the bearer is the son of someone named Fychan or Vychan.
The surname Vaughan has a long history in Wales and is particularly associated with the country's noble families. The name is commonly found in various forms, including Vaghan, Vaughan, and Vychan.
Roger Vaughan was a knight and supported the Lancastrian cause. He was killed at the Battle of Pilleth in 1402.
Surname origins are rarely settled: one spelling can have several sources, and families often took a name for reasons nobody wrote down. Check it against the sources below before you rely on it.
#893
Vaughan was the 893rd most common surname in the 2010 US Census, with 38,830 people, about 13 in every 100,000.
Who carries it
Surnames like Vaughan
Names it is linked with, then names with the same origin and a similar standing.
Check the sources
- Forebears: where Vaughan is found around the world
- The Internet Surname Database: a second opinion on the origin
- US Census Bureau: the 2010 surname figures used here
For a name you are serious about, compare the dictionaries: Reaney and Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames; Hanks, Dictionary of American Family Names.