VAUGHAN
Vaughan is a Welsh surname that has evolved from a personal byname into a hereditary family name. The original form was derived from the Welsh word fychan, a mutation of bychan and ultimately from bach, meaning “small” or “little”. In early Gaelic documents the name was used as a nickname to distinguish a younger person from a senior of the same name, as illustrated by the 1325 record of Guyn Vaghan ap Guyn, meaning “Gwyn the younger son of Gwyn”.
As a patronymic surname, Vaughan indicated descent from an individual called Fychan. The earliest documented spellings of the name in the registers of West Wales include “Rys Vychan” in 1248, “William Vachan” in 1275 and “Jeuran Vaghann” in 1391. The variation between the initials f and v is a consequence of the similarity of the two sounds, and the name was often written inconsistently by scribes who did not speak Welsh. A further example of this variation is the modern Welsh surname Baugh, derived from bach and used as a nickname for a small or short man.
The surname spread beyond Wales into England, where the 1601 Register of the University of Oxford lists an Evan Vaughan of Shropshire and the 1621 parish records record a Jenkyn Vaughan as the prebendary of St Davids, Harlech. These entries demonstrate the establishment of the family name in north‑western England during the early modern period.
Notable bearers of the name include Richard Vaughan, who served as Solicitor to Queen Elizabeth I in 1580, and the poet Henry Vaughan (1622–1695). Vaughan’s collection of poems, titled The Retreat, was a source of inspiration for William Wordsworth’s Ode on the Intimations of Immortality.
The coat of arms granted to the Vaughan family in 1491 by Henry Tudor (also known as Henry VII, who reigned from 1485 to 1509) is blazoned as “per pale, blue and purple, a gold fish haurient”; the fish is a heraldic symbol of wisdom. The earliest known spelling of the family name, recorded in the County Records of Breconshire in 1222, is Grifit Vehan, dated to the reign of King Henry I, often referred to as the “Frenchman” (1216–1272).
In contemporary times, individuals bearing the surname Vaughan are predominantly found in Wales and in other English‑speaking countries, reflecting the historical migration and diaspora of Welsh peoples.
Typical given names associated with the Vaughan surname
Male
- Andrew
- Christopher
- David
- James
- John
- Mark
- Michael
- Peter
- Richard
- Robert
- Stephen
Female
- Christine
- Elizabeth
- Emma
- Helen
- Margaret
- Mary
- Nicola
- Patricia
- Rebecca
- Sarah
- Susan
Similar and related surnames
Related and similar names are generated algorithmically based on the spelling, and may not necessarily share an etymology.
How to communicate the surname Vaughan in...
Braille
⠧⠁⠥⠛⠓⠁⠝
Morse
...-.-..---......--.
Semaphore
Did you know?
According to a survey carried out by Democracy Club, politicians and candidates with the surname Vaughan are most likely to say that their favourite biscuit is a Chocolate Hobnob.
There are approximately 24,134 people named Vaughan in the UK. That makes it the 341st most common surname in Britain. Around 371 in a million people in Britain are named Vaughan.
Surname type: Nickname
Origin: English
Region of origin: British Isles
Country of origin: England
Religion of origin: Christian
Language of origin: English
Famous people named Vaughan
- Peter Vaughan - Actor (1923 to 2016)
- Johnny Vaughan - Television and radio presenter
- Michael Vaughan - Cricket player of England.
- James Vaughan - Football player
- Frankie Vaughan - Traditional pop music singer (1928 to 1999)
- Stevie Ray Vaughan - American guitarist, songwriter and recording artist (1954 to 1990)
- Rhydian Vaughan - Taiwanese-British actor
- Norman Vaughan - Comedian (1923 to 2002)
- Henry Vaughan - Welsh author, physician and metaphysical poet (1621 to 1695)
- Ivan Vaughan - Musician (1942 to 1993)
- David Vaughan - Welsh football player
- Tom Vaughan - Scottish television and film director
- Leona Vaughan - Actress
- Peter Vaughan-Clarke - Actor
- Stephen Vaughan Jr. - Football player and full time wanker
- Thomas Vaughan - Welsh philosopher (1621 to 1666)
- Janet Vaughan - Physiologist and radiobiologist (1899 to 1993)
- David Vaughan - Artist (1944 to 2003)
- Malcolm Vaughan - Welsh actor-singer (1929 to 2010)
- Paul Vaughan - Radio presenter (1925 to 2014)
Names and descriptions courtesy of Wikipedia, and may contain errors. This is not intended to be an exhaustive list of every famous person with this name.