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

Vagas, 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 Vagas surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Vagas in America

Vagas is the 83541st most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Vagas surname appeared 225 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 Vagas.

We can also compare 2010 data for Vagas 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 Vagas

The surname Vagas is of Spanish origin, deriving from the word "vegas," which means "fertile plains" or "meadows." This name is believed to have originated in the region of Murcia in southeastern Spain, where the fertile plains of the Segura River basin are located.

The earliest known record of the surname Vagas dates back to the 13th century, when it appeared in historical documents from the Kingdom of Murcia. During this period, the region was under the rule of the Crown of Castile, and many families were granted land and titles in recognition of their service to the crown.

One notable figure from this era was Pedro de Vagas, a knight who fought alongside King Alfonso X of Castile in the conquest of Murcia in the mid-13th century. Records indicate that Pedro de Vagas was granted lands in the fertile plains near the city of Murcia as a reward for his military service.

In the 16th century, the surname Vagas spread to other parts of Spain, particularly to the regions of Andalusia and Extremadura. During this time, several members of the Vagas family achieved prominence, such as Diego de Vagas, a renowned poet and playwright born in Seville in 1527.

As the Spanish Empire expanded, the surname Vagas also found its way to the Americas. One notable figure was Juan de Vagas Cervantes, a conquistador and explorer who was born in Extremadura in 1520 and later became the first governor of the Spanish settlement of Nuevo México (present-day New Mexico) in 1598.

Another prominent individual with the surname Vagas was María de Vagas y Córdoba, a Spanish noblewoman and landowner who was born in Córdoba in 1601. She was known for her philanthropic work and her support of religious institutions in her region.

Throughout history, the surname Vagas has been associated with various place names and variations in spelling, such as Vegas, Vega, and Vagues. These variations reflect the linguistic diversity of the regions where the name was present, as well as the influence of different dialects and regional accents.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Vagas

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

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

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

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