Vincent
Meaning
conquering
Famously borne by Vincent Chin, whose 1982 killing galvanized the Asian American civil rights movement. Immortalized by Vincent Vega in Pulp Fiction (1994).
The story
Vincent comes from the Roman name Vincentius and the Latin verb vincere, to conquer. Early Christians favored it, and many saints carried it, including Vincent of Saragossa in the fourth century and the French priest Vincent de Paul much later. English use reaches back to the Middle Ages but did not become common until the nineteenth century. In American records Vincent never behaves like a fad. It holds a modest presence across every decade, softens around the late twentieth century, then rises again in the 2000s and reaches its strongest modern level in the 2010s and 2020s. That broad span gives it unusual age flexibility. Vince and Vinny can sound neighborhood-casual, while Vincent keeps the formal shape that crossed from Rome through churches and languages. The meaning says conquest; the curve shows endurance.
Vincent in song
Vincent
Don McLean (1971)
The starry, starry night song, Don McLean's gentle account of Vincent van Gogh, written one morning in 1970 after reading a biography of the painter.
Popularity, 1890–2024
Shape drawn from US Social Security baby-name records. Vincent peaked in the 2010s and the 2020s in nearly equal measure.
See popularity in Brazil
Popularity in Brazil
491 people · the #13,548 first name in Brazil · about 1 in 500,000 · median age 8
Among people named Vincent living in Brazil at the 2022 census, more were born in the 2010s than in any other decade.
The census also counted 131 born between 2020 and August 2022, too recent a span to chart.
Source: IBGE, Censo Demográfico 2022
When you meet Vincent
People given the name Vincent in the United States span the generations: the middle half were born anywhere from 1960 to 2009. Age is the one thing the name won't tell you.
Estimated from US Social Security birth registrations and typical lifespans; a rough guide, not a rule.
The Vincent deep dive
Whether you’re naming a baby or exploring your own name’s history, this is a personal letter, not a list: where Vincent truly comes from, how it traveled, and what a century of records reveals. If you have grown a tree on nametree, it also considers how Vincent fits with your family’s names and surname.
Where Vincent travels
Italian American · a steady, beloved Italian-American classic
Filipino American · to conquer (a common Filipino Catholic name)
Vietnamese American · to conquer (a very common Vietnamese Catholic and refugee-generation English name)
Keep exploring
Names like Vincent · Nicknames for Vincent · Italian American baby names · Filipino American baby names · Vietnamese American baby names · Chinese American baby names
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