vance

vance — biographical name

1. A US Vice President from 2025, an American politician who had earlier served Ohi

1.biographical name
Definition

A US Vice President from 2025, an American politician who had earlier served Ohio in the Senate and gained national fame as the author of Hillbilly Elegy.

Example

JD Vance rose to national attention after publishing his memoir, Hillbilly Elegy, in 2016.

full name with given initials plus surname

Voters in Ohio chose Vance to represent them in the US Senate in 2022.

surname alone in political context

Common collocations
  • the Vance administration
  • Vance's political career
  • Vance's memoir
Synonyms

Usage Note

Proper noun referring to a specific living person. Most common in formal political reporting as 'JD Vance' or 'Vice President Vance'; by surname alone ('Vance') in informal or continuing references. Always capitalized.

Common Mistakes

Vance is a common last name from Scotland.' (when referring to the specific politician)
Vance refers to the US politician JD Vance.
As a biographical entry, it points to the individual, not the surname in general.

Common collocations

Nouns

Phrases

  • the Vance era
  • the Vance administration
  • Vance's political rise

Etymology

Old EnglishMiddle EnglishModern English

The surname Vance comes from an English place name, originally referring to someone who lived near marshland (Old English fenn). In modern US political vocabulary it refers specifically to James David 'JD' Vance, the author and politician who became vice president in 2025.