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

Vaca, 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 Vaca surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Vaca in America

Vaca is the 4444th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Vaca surname appeared 7,982 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 3 people would have the surname Vaca.

We can also compare 2010 data for Vaca 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 Vaca

The surname VACA originated in Spain during the medieval period. It is derived from the Spanish word "vaca," meaning "cow." This name likely referred to someone who worked with cows, such as a cowherd or dairy farmer.

In the 13th century, the name appeared in various records in the regions of Castile and Aragon. One of the earliest documented mentions was in the Becerro de Behetrías, a medieval census of Castile from 1352, which listed several individuals with the surname VACA.

During the 15th century, the VACA family gained prominence in the town of Trujillo, located in the province of Cáceres, Extremadura. Notably, Alonso Fernández de Lugo, also known as Alonso Fernández de Lugo y Vaca (1456-1525), was a Spanish conquistador and the first governor of the Canary Islands.

Another notable figure was Pedro de Vaca (1492-1567), a Spanish conquistador and explorer who was part of the Narváez expedition to Florida in 1527. He is best known for his journey across the American Southwest, which he documented in his book "Relación" (1542).

In the 16th century, the VACA surname spread across Spain and its colonies. Juan de Vaca (1540-1610) was a Spanish explorer and navigator who participated in several expeditions to the Pacific Ocean and the Philippines.

During the 17th century, the name appeared in various records in New Spain (present-day Mexico and the southwestern United States). One notable individual was Alonso de Vaca (1591-1667), a Spanish priest and bishop who served as the Bishop of Puebla de los Ángeles from 1640 to 1667.

In the 18th century, the VACA surname continued to be prominent in Spain and its colonies. Francisco de Vaca y Sarmiento (1703-1777) was a Spanish military officer and governor of New Mexico from 1756 to 1761.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Vaca

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

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

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

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