Vice
Likely a nickname surname from the medieval stage villain called the Vice, or from an old word for a rogue or jester.
The #6,318 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 57,143 Americans shares it.
Etymology
This surname is most often explained from Middle English vice, the name of a comic or devilish character in medieval morality plays. In that setting, the Vice was the buffoonish tempter or trickster who opposed the virtuous characters. The word itself ultimately comes from Latin vitium, meaning “fault” or “sin,” through Old French.
History
Nineteenth-century surname writers specifically connected VICE with the stage character of the same name, and that remains the strongest explanation from the supplied sources. As with many nickname surnames, it may originally have been applied to someone thought to be a rogue, joker, or theatrical performer. The name is uncommon in the modern United States, but it survives as a straightforward English-language surname.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
In Tudor and earlier English drama, the Vice was such a standard stock character that audiences would have recognized the role immediately.
From the historical record
“carie. H.E. VICE. Halliwell says-" The buffoon of our early drama." When the " Mysteries" ceased to be played for the amusement of our medieval ancestors, a kind of perfor- mances succeeded, which were known as Moralities. In these the dialogue was sus- tained by allegorical characters, " such as Good Doctrine…”
— Patronymica Britannica: a dictionary of the family names of the United Kingdom