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

Ovalles, 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 Ovalles surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Ovalles in America

Ovalles is the 17911th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Ovalles surname appeared 1,561 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 1 people would have the surname Ovalles.

We can also compare 2010 data for Ovalles to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name Ovalles

The surname Ovalles is of Spanish origin and can be traced back to the 15th century in the region of Asturias, located in northern Spain. It is believed to have derived from the Spanish word "oval," which means "oval-shaped," suggesting that the name may have originally referred to a person living near an oval-shaped geographical feature or a place with an oval shape in its name.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname Ovalles can be found in the Libro de la Armada, a historical manuscript from the late 15th century that documented Spanish naval activities during the reign of King Ferdinand II of Aragon and Queen Isabella I of Castile. The name appears in this document in reference to a sailor or navigator who participated in the early Spanish expeditions to the Americas.

In the 16th century, the surname Ovalles was also present in various historical records from the region of Asturias, including parish registers and land records. One notable individual bearing this name was Juan Ovalles, a merchant and landowner who lived in the town of Oviedo, Asturias, during the late 1500s.

As the Spanish Empire expanded in the Americas, the name Ovalles began to appear in various colonial records from the 17th and 18th centuries. For instance, Pedro de Ovalles was a Spanish soldier and explorer who participated in the conquest of Chile in the early 1600s. Another prominent figure was Fray Juan de Ovalles, a Dominican friar and historian who authored the book "Historia Relación del Reino de Chile" in 1646, providing a valuable account of the early colonial period in Chile.

In the 19th century, one of the most notable individuals with the surname Ovalles was José Toribio Ovalles y Camacho (1797-1870), a Venezuelan military leader and politician who served as President of Venezuela from 1865 to 1866. Additionally, Juan Ovalles (1832-1905) was a Venezuelan poet and writer who is considered one of the pioneers of modernist poetry in Latin America.

Another significant figure was María Ovalles (1850-1932), a Venezuelan educator and women's rights activist who founded several schools and fought for the advancement of women's education in her country. She is recognized as a pioneering figure in the women's rights movement in Venezuela.

These are just a few examples of notable individuals who have borne the surname Ovalles throughout history, highlighting its Spanish roots and its presence in various regions, particularly in Latin America, where it has continued to be a surname of significance.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Ovalles

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

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 Ovalles 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.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Ovalles has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

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 Ovalles was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

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

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