How Many People Are Named Vesta?

An estimated 1,342 people in the United States have the first name Vesta. It is almost exclusively a female name. The average bearer is 65 years old, and Vesta peaked in popularity in 1918 with 257 births that year.

Below you will find a full statistical profile of Vesta as a first name in the United States, including gender data, a year-by-year popularity timeline going back to 1880, a decade breakdown, state-by-state birth registrations, and, when available, a 2020 Census snapshot showing who had the name at that point in time. You can also check how many people share the full name Vesta paired with any surname.

Key Insights

  • With an average bearer age of 65, Vesta is a vintage name most associated with earlier generations. Most living bearers were born before 1971.

Estimated Living Americans

1,342

About 1 in 255,406 people in the U.S.

Rarity

Rare

Very Rare Very Common

Predicted Gender

Female

99.7% confidence

Average Age

65

years old

Peak Year

1918

257 births

Total Registered

8,208

since 1880

Gender Distribution for Vesta

Vesta is almost exclusively a female name. Out of 8,208 total births registered, 99.7% were female.

Male 27 (0.3%)
Female 8,181 (99.7%)

Vesta as a male name

Ranked #3,977 in 1930

6 male births in 1930

Peak: 1919 (6 births)

Vesta as a female name

Ranked #17,475 in 2024

5 female births in 2024

Peak: 1918 (257 births)

Vesta in the 2020 Census

The 2020 Census recorded 2,004 people with the first name Vesta, which placed it at #7,570 in the published first-name tables. This is a snapshot of people who already had the name in 2020. The estimated living count elsewhere on this page is different: it is a current estimate built from SSA birth records and age-based survival rates, so the two figures are not expected to match exactly.

Read this section as a snapshot of people who already had the name in 2020. The SSA charts elsewhere on this page are still the better way to see how the name rose, fell, or shifted across generations.

Gender in the 2020 Census

In the 2020 Census, Vesta was recorded as predominantly female. Out of 2,004 people with this name in that snapshot, 1.2% were male and 98.8% were female. That is very close to the long-run birth pattern in SSA records, where the name is female 99.7% of the time.

Census Count

2,004

people with this name

Census Rank

#7,570

among Census first names

Frequency Rate

0.66

per 100,000 people

Male 25 (1.2%)
Female 1,979 (98.8%)

Recorded Race and Hispanic Origin in the 2020 Census

In the 2020 Census, the first name Vesta was most commonly recorded among people who identified as White (74.34%). The next largest recorded groups were Black (18.12%) and Two or More Races (3.25%).

These percentages describe the people who had the first name Vesta in the 2020 Census. They do not tell you the deeper meaning or origin of the name itself.

White
74.34%
Black
18.12%
Hispanic
2.25%
Asian/Pacific Islander
1.05%
American Indian/Alaska Native
1.00%
Two or More Races
3.25%

2020 Census demographic breakdown

Each row shows a recorded Census category for people with the first name Vesta.

Group Share Count
White 74.34% 1,489
Black 18.12% 363
Two or More Races 3.25% 65
Hispanic 2.25% 45
Asian and Pacific Islander 1.05% 21
American Indian and Alaska Native 1.00% 20

The Census published separate sex and race/origin tables for first names, so their total counts can differ slightly for the same name. That is why the race section focuses on the demographic mix rather than repeating a second headline count.

Vesta: Popularity Over Time

SSA records for Vesta span from the 1880s to the 2020s, covering 15 decades of naming data. The most popular decade for this name was the 1910s, when 1,814 babies were registered. Vesta has declined significantly from its peak in the 1910s. Recent registrations are a fraction of what they were at the name's height.

Male
Female
0 51 103 154 206 257 1880 1900 1920 1940 1960 1980 2000 2020

Vesta by Decade

How has Vesta tracked across different eras? The table below groups all SSA birth registrations into 10-year periods, with separate male and female counts. The colored bar shows each decade's share relative to the peak.

Decade Total Male Female
1880s 320 0 320
1890s 750 0 750
1900s 1,031 0 1,031
1910s 1,814 16 1,798
1920s 1,673 5 1,668
1930s 946 6 940
1940s 628 0 628
1950s 414 0 414
1960s 223 0 223
1970s 123 0 123
1980s 83 0 83
1990s 66 0 66
2000s 45 0 45
2010s 57 0 57
2020s 35 0 35

Vesta by State

Birth registrations for Vesta span all 33 states and territories in the SSA database. The highest counts are in Texas, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania. The lowest are in New Jersey, Idaho, South Carolina. On average, about 96 Vestas were registered per state.

Vesta + Last Name Combinations

How many people share a full name with Vesta as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.

Vesta: Questions and Answers

How many people in the U.S. are named Vesta?

We estimate approximately 1,342 people named Vesta are alive in the United States today. This is based on SSA birth records from 1880 to 2024, adjusted for mortality using CDC life tables. About 1 in 255,406 Americans share this first name.

Is Vesta a common name?

Vesta is classified as "Rare" and is more popular than 91.8% of all first names in the SSA database. A total of 8,208 births have been registered with this name since 1880.

When was Vesta most popular?

Vesta reached peak popularity in 1918, when 257 babies were given this name. The average age of a living person named Vesta is approximately 65 years old, reflecting when the name was most commonly given.

How common was Vesta in the 2020 Census?

The 2020 Census recorded 2,004 people with the first name Vesta. That placed it at #7,570 in the published Census first-name tables, or 0.66 people per 100,000.

Why is the Census count different from the living estimate?

Because they measure different things. The Census number is a count of people with the name in 2020. The living estimate is a current model based on SSA birth records and survival rates, so it aims to estimate how many people with the name are alive now.

What does the SSA popularity chart show?

The popularity chart tracks birth registrations, not people currently alive. It shows how often Vesta was given to babies from 1880 through 2024, which is why it is the best tool on the page for seeing long-run naming trends.

What does the Census say about the gender split for Vesta?

In the 2020 Census snapshot, Vesta was recorded as predominantly female. The published split was 1.2% male and 98.8% female.

What does the Census say about the background of people named Vesta?

In the 2020 Census, the first name Vesta was most commonly recorded among people who identified as White (74.34%). The next largest recorded groups were Black (18.12%) and Two or More Races (3.25%). These percentages describe the people who had the name in the 2020 Census, not the deeper meaning or origin of the name itself.

Why can the Census sex total and race total differ slightly?

The Census published separate first-name tables for sex and for race and Hispanic origin. Those totals can differ slightly for the same name, so the page uses them as two related snapshots rather than treating them as perfectly interchangeable counts.

Does every first name have Census demographic data?

No. The public Census first-name tables only include names that met the Bureau's publication rules. That means some names on this site will have SSA history but no published Census demographic snapshot.

Is Vesta a female name?

Vesta is predominantly female. 99.7% of people with this name are female. See the gender breakdown above for full details.

Why can Vesta have a lot of living bearers even if it is not trendy now?

Because a name can build up a large population over many decades. Vesta peaked in 1918, and the average living bearer is about 65 years old, so a name can still have millions of living bearers even after it stops feeling current for newborns.

How many Vesta Smiths are there?

To find how many people share a specific full name, we combine first name and surname frequencies. Try: Vesta Smith, Vesta Johnson, Vesta Williams. You can also search any combination on our homepage.

Where does this data come from?

Our estimates use Social Security Administration birth records (1880 to 2024), adjusted for survival using CDC 2023 life tables broken down by sex. The U.S. population figure (342,754,338) is from the Census Bureau's July 2025 estimate. Full methodology.

Search for a full name combination