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

Téllez, 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 Téllez surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Téllez in America

Téllez is the 1595th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Téllez surname appeared 22,494 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 8 people would have the surname Téllez.

We can also compare 2010 data for Téllez 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 Téllez

The surname Tellez is of Spanish origin and can be traced back to the medieval era. It is derived from the Latin name "Telles" or "Tello," which was a personal name of Germanic origin. The name Tellez is a patronymic, meaning "son of Tello."

In the early Middle Ages, the name Tellez was particularly prominent in the regions of Castile and León, where it was associated with noble families and landowners. One of the earliest recorded references to the name can be found in the Cartulario de Arlanza, a 12th-century manuscript from the Monastery of San Pedro de Arlanza, which mentions individuals with the surname Tellez.

During the Reconquista, the period when Christian kingdoms in the Iberian Peninsula fought to reclaim territories from the Moors, several prominent figures bore the surname Tellez. One notable example is Fernán Téllez de Meneses, a 13th-century nobleman and military leader who played a significant role in the conquest of Córdoba in 1236.

In the 14th century, the surname Tellez gained further prominence with Pedro Téllez-Girón, a powerful nobleman who served as the Grand Master of the Order of Santiago and played a crucial role in the reign of King Pedro I of Castile, also known as Pedro the Cruel.

Another notable individual with the surname Tellez was Gonzalo Téllez, a 15th-century Spanish explorer and conquistador who accompanied Hernán Cortés in the conquest of Mexico. He is credited with founding several settlements, including the town of Compostela in present-day Mexico.

In the literary realm, one of the most famous figures with the surname Tellez was Fray Gabriel Téllez, a 17th-century Spanish dramatist and playwright better known by his pseudonym, Tirso de Molina. He is renowned for his works, including the play "El Burlador de Sevilla y Convidado de Piedra," which introduced the legendary character of Don Juan.

Throughout the centuries, the surname Tellez has been associated with various place names and spellings. For example, the town of Tello in the province of Huesca, Spain, is believed to have derived its name from the surname Tellez, reflecting the historical presence of families with this surname in the region.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Téllez

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

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

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

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