Find out how popular the last name Felices is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Felices.

Felices, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Felices surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Felices in America

Felices is the 148347th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Felices surname appeared 111 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 people would have the surname Felices.

The history of the last name Felices

The surname FELICES originated in Spain and can be traced back to the 12th century. It is derived from the Spanish word "feliz," meaning "happy" or "joyful." The name likely referred to someone with a cheerful demeanor or a person who brought happiness to those around them.

In the 13th century, the name appeared in various historical records and documents, such as the Repartimiento de Sevilla, which recorded the distribution of land and property in the city of Seville after its conquest by the Christian forces in 1248. The name was also found in the Libro de los Repartimientos de Murcia, a similar document related to the city of Murcia.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname FELICES dates back to 1287, when a certain Rodrigo Felices was mentioned in a legal document from the city of Burgos. In the 14th century, the name was associated with several notable individuals, including Juan Felices, a merchant from Seville who traded extensively with Italy and the Mediterranean region.

During the 15th century, the FELICES surname gained prominence in various regions of Spain. In 1471, a certain Pedro Felices was appointed as the mayor of the town of Carmona, near Seville. Around the same time, a family named FELICES owned several vineyards and agricultural properties in the region of La Rioja.

In the 16th century, the FELICES name became associated with the Spanish conquest and colonization of the Americas. One of the most famous individuals with this surname was Hernán Cortés de Monroy y Pizarro Altamirano, a Spanish conquistador born in 1485 in Medellín, Extremadura. He is best known for leading the expedition that caused the fall of the Aztec Empire and the subsequent Spanish colonization of Mexico.

Another notable figure was Francisco Felices de Cáceres, a Spanish explorer and conquistador who participated in the conquest of Peru alongside Francisco Pizarro in the 1530s. He was granted land and properties in the region of Cuzco for his services to the Spanish Crown.

In the 17th century, the FELICES name was also found in various parts of Spain, including Catalonia and the Basque Country. One example is Miguel Felices de Urquijo, a wealthy merchant from Bilbao who played a significant role in the expansion of Spanish trade with the Americas and the Philippines.

Throughout history, the FELICES surname has been carried by individuals from various walks of life, including nobility, clergy, artists, and intellectuals. While the name originated in Spain, it has since spread to other parts of the world, particularly to Latin American countries, due to Spanish colonization and migration.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Felices

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Felices.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Felices was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Felices was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Felices, please contact us.

Reference this page

We spend a lot of resources downloading, cleaning, merging, and formatting the data that is shown on the site.

If you found the data or information on this page useful in your research, please use the tool below to properly cite or reference Name Census as the source. We appreciate your support!