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Vidal History Early Origins Early History Spelling Variations Early Notables World Ranking

Contemporary Notables Historic Events Related Stories Citations

Vidal History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
Spain

The distinguished surname Vidal has its origins in the mountainous Regions of Spain. The surname Vidal is derived from the personal name Vidal and literally means "son or descendant of Vidal." The personal name Vidal is derived from the Latin name "Vitalis," from the word "vita," which means "life."

Early Origins of the Vidal family

The surname Vidal was first found in the four provinces of Catalonia (north- eastern Spain) and in the Balears islands. The earliest reference of the surname Vidal is a thirteenth century record of a Pedro Vidal, a troubadour in Provence (France,) who died in the year 1200.

Early History of the Vidal family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Vidal research. Another 68 words (5 lines of text) covering the years 1317 and 1581 are included under the topic Early Vidal History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Vidal Spelling Variations

Spelling variations of this family name include: Vidalle, Vital, Vidales, Vitale, Vitel, Vidals and others.

Early Notables of the Vidal family

Prominent among bearers of the Vidal family name at this time was

Bernardo Vidal, Counselor of King James I, who participated in the conquest of Valencia...
Pedro Vidal, from Barcelona, participated in the conquest of the island of Mallorca...
King Sancho I of Mallorca granted the privilege of Generosity to Bernardo Vidal from Perpinya in 1317 and Antonio Vidal was granted the title of Knight of the Principate in 1581...

Vidal World Ranking

In the United States, the name Vidal is the 2,978^th most popular surname with an estimated 9,948 people with that name. 1 However, in France, the name Vidal is ranked the 90^th most popular surname with an estimated 30,219 people with that name. 2 And in South America, the name Vidal is the 49^th popular surname with an estimated 80 people with that name. 3

Vidal migration to the United States +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Vidal Settlers in United States in the 16th Century

Teresa Vidal who settled in New Spain in 1536
Alonso Vidal who sailed to Peru in 1592

Vidal Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

Stephen Vidal, who arrived in Pennsylvania in 1754 4
Charles Vidal, who landed in Mobile, Ala in 1764 4
Paul Vidal, aged 37, who landed in New York in 1799 4

Vidal Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

John Vidal, who arrived in Charleston, South Carolina in 1807 4
Anton Vidal, who landed in America in 1813 4
Benito Vidal, who landed in Puerto Rico in 1813 4
Agustin Vidal, who landed in Puerto Rico in 1816 4
Manl Vidal, aged 50, who landed in New Orleans, La in 1820 4
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Vidal migration to New Zealand +

Emigration to New Zealand followed in the footsteps of the European explorers, such as Captain Cook (1769-70): first came sealers, whalers, missionaries, and traders. By 1838, the British New Zealand Company had begun buying land from the Maori tribes, and selling it to settlers, and, after the Treaty of Waitangi in 1840, many British families set out on the arduous six month journey from Britain to Aotearoa to start a new life. Early immigrants include:

Vidal Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century

Robert Vidal, who landed in Auckland, New Zealand in 1840

Contemporary Notables of the name Vidal (post 1700) +

Christina Vidal (b. 1981), American film and television actress
Gore Vidal (b. 1925), American writer and film actor/personality
Vicente J. Vidal, American politician, Honorary Consul for Guatemala at Pensacola, Florida, 1900; Honorary Consul for Cuba at Pensacola, Florida, 1904 5
Steven P. Vidal, American politician, U.S. Collector of Internal Revenue for New Mexico, 1941-51 5
Michel Vidal (b. 1824), American Republican politician, Delegate to Louisiana State Constitutional Convention, 1867; U.S. Representative from Louisiana 4th District, 1868-69; U.S. Consul in Tripoli, 1870-76 5
Eugene Luther Gore Vidal Jr. (1925-2012), American Democratic Party politician, Alternate Delegate to Democratic National Convention from New York, 1960; Candidate for U.S. Representative from New York 29th District, 1960 5
Dagmar Vidal, American Democratic Party politician, Member of Democratic National Committee from Iowa, 1971; Delegate to Democratic National Convention from Iowa, 1972 5
María Vilas Vidal (b. 1996), Spanish swimmer, she competed in the 2016 summer olympics
Francisco Vidal (1941-2023), Spanish actor known for his roles in El Crack, The Enchanted Forest, and Pan's Labyrinth
Juan Sánchez Vidal (b. 1958), Spanish model aircraft collector with what many experts believe to be the largest aircraft collection in the world
... (Another 4 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Historic Events for the Vidal family +

USS Arizona

Mr. Daniel Vidal, American Mess Attendant First Class working aboard the ship "USS Arizona" when she sunk during the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor on 7th December 1941, he survived the sinking 6

Citations +

"What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
http://www.journaldesfemmes.com/nom-de-famille/nom/
"List of most common surnames in South America." Wikipedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_most_common_surnames_in_South_America
Filby, P. William, Meyer, Mary K., Passenger and immigration lists index : a guide to published arrival records of about 500,000 passengers who came to the United States and Canada in the seventeenth, eighteenth, and nineteenth centuries. 1982-1985 Cumulated Supplements in Four Volumes Detroit, Mich. : Gale Research Co., 1985, Print (ISBN 0-8103-1795-8)
The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, November 11) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html
Pearl Harbour: USS Arizona Casualties List Pearl Harbour December 7, 1941. (Retrieved 2018, July 31st). Retrieved from http://pearl-harbor.com/arizona/casualtylist.html