2000
#2,064
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 16,083
First available Census row
Per 100,000 5.96
Uncommon Last name
Valadez
A Spanish surname derived from the place name Valdés, which refers to someone from the valley of the Dés river.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 24,272 Americans carry the last name Valadez. That puts it at #1,655 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 7.08 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 14,121 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Valadez surname. You will find the Census Bureau frequency data, a multi-census history view, an ancestry and ethnicity breakdown based on self-reported demographics, the name's meaning and origin where available, and answers to the most common questions people ask about this surname.
Bearers in the US
24K
1 in 14,121
Census rank
#1,655
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
7.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
21K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 21,166 bearers of the surname Valadez in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 7.08 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 1655th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Valadez, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 93.4%. The next largest groups are White (5.6%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (0.3%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Valadez
The surname Valadez is believed to have originated in Spain during the medieval period, with its roots potentially traced back to the Basque region. The name is derived from the Basque word "bala," meaning "arrow," and the Spanish suffix "-dez," which indicates patronymic lineage. This suggests that the name may have initially referred to someone with a connection to archers or the production of arrows.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Valadez can be found in the Cartulario de San Millán de la Cogolla, a 10th-century manuscript from the Monastery of San Millán de la Cogolla in La Rioja, Spain. This document contains references to individuals bearing the name, indicating its presence in the region during that time.
During the 12th century, the name Valadez appeared in various records and documents across Spain, particularly in the regions of Castile and Aragon. Notable individuals from this period include Pedro Valadez, a prominent landowner and nobleman in Castile, who lived from approximately 1150 to 1220.
As the Spanish Empire expanded into the Americas, the name Valadez spread to various regions of the New World. One of the earliest recorded individuals with this surname in the Americas was Juan Valadez, a Spanish explorer who participated in the conquest of Mexico in the early 16th century under the leadership of Hernán Cortés.
In the 17th century, another notable figure with the surname Valadez was Fray Diego Valadés, a Franciscan friar and writer who was born in Spain around 1585 and later became a missionary in New Spain (present-day Mexico). His work, "Rhetorica Christiana," published in 1579, was an influential treatise on rhetoric and preaching in the Americas.
During the colonial period in Mexico, the Valadez family established itself as a prominent lineage, with members holding various positions of power and influence. One such individual was José Mariano de Valadés, a Mexican politician and lawyer who played a crucial role in the country's independence movement in the early 19th century.
Throughout the centuries, the Valadez surname has been associated with several notable figures across various fields, including literature, art, and politics. For instance, Juan Valadés, a Mexican painter and engraver, was renowned for his contributions to the Mexican mural movement in the 20th century.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Valadez
Among Census respondents with the surname Valadez, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 93.4%. The next largest groups are White (5.6%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (0.3%).
The bar chart below shows how Valadez bearers described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given surname, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown for every Census year so the breakdown stays comparable over time. When the source file also includes raw headcounts, Name Census shows those alongside the percentages in the legend.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A person's surname does not determine their race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the Valadez surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Hispanic or Latino93.4% · 19,761
- White5.6% · 1,182
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 59
- Black or African American0.3% · 55
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.3% · 55
- Two or more races0.3% · 54
Timeline
Historical Census data for Valadez
Valadez appears in 3 published Census surname files: 2000, 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2010
#1,645
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 21,859
+5,776 bearers (+35.9%)
Per 100,000 7.41
Rank movement Up 419 places
2020
#1,655
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 21,166
-693 bearers (-3.2%)
Per 100,000 7.08
Rank movement Down 10 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #2,064 | 16,083 | 5.96 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #1,645 | 21,859 | 7.41 | +5,776 bearers (+35.9%) | Up 419 places |
| 2020 | #1,655 | 21,166 | 7.08 | -693 bearers (-3.2%) | Down 10 places |
For 2020, the Census Bureau published race and Hispanic-origin columns as counts rather than percentages. Name Census converts those counts back into shares so the ancestry section stays comparable with the older surname files.
Year on year
2010 vs 2020 Census
How has the Valadez surname changed between Census years? The chart shows bearer count side by side, and the table compares rank, count, and frequency.
Census year comparison
20102020
| Metric | 2010 | 2020 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #1,645 | #1,655 | -0.6% |
| Count | 21,859 | 21,166 | -3.2% |
| Per 100K | 7.41 | 7.08 | -4.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Valadez bearers went from 21,859 to 21,166 (-3.2% change). The surname moved down 10 positions in the national ranking, going from #1,645 to #1,655.
FAQ
Valadez surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Valadez?
Name Census estimates that about 24,272 living Americans carry the surname Valadez. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 14,121 residents.
How common is Valadez?
Valadez ranks #1,655 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 7.08 per 100,000 residents, which is about 7 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 21,166 people with the surname Valadez. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (24,272), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 7.08 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 7.08 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 7 of them to have the surname Valadez.
Has Valadez become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Valadez went from 21,859 recorded bearers to 21,166. That is a decrease of 693 (-3.2%). In the national ranking it fell from #1,645 to #1,655.
What does the Census say about the background of Valadez?
Among Census respondents with the surname Valadez, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 93.4%. The next largest groups are White (5.6%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (0.3%). These figures come from the 2020 Census Bureau surname tables, based on how respondents described their own race and ethnicity.
Which group reports this surname most often?
Hispanic is the largest self-reported group for the surname Valadez in the 2020 Census, accounting for 93.4% (19,761 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Valadez appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Hispanic (93.4%), White (5.6%), American Indian/Alaska Native (0.3%). For 2020, the source file also published raw headcounts for each group, which is why this page can show both percentages and counts in the ancestry section.
Is this page using the latest Census data?
Yes. This page is using the latest surname file currently loaded on Name Census, which is 2020. The historical section above also keeps any older Census surname entries we have for Valadez (2000, 2010, 2020).
Does the Census include every surname?
No. The Census Bureau only publishes surnames that appeared at least 100 times in a given decennial Census. That means very rare surnames are excluded entirely, and a surname can appear in one Census release but disappear from a later one if it falls below the reporting threshold.
Why don't the ancestry percentages always add up to exactly 100%?
There are two main reasons: rounding and suppression. The Census Bureau rounds published values, and it may suppress very small cells to protect privacy. For 2020, the Bureau also published raw group counts rather than direct percentages, so Name Census converts those counts back into shares for comparability across census years.
What does Valadez mean?
A Spanish surname derived from the place name Valdés, which refers to someone from the valley of the Dés river. The fuller origin note on this page goes into more detail.
Where does the surname data come from?
All surname statistics on Name Census are drawn from the US Census Bureau's decennial surname frequency tables. These files list every surname that appeared 100 or more times in the 2020 Census, along with a count, a per-100,000 rate, and a self-reported demographic breakdown. You can read the full explanation on our methodology page.
How does Name Census estimate living bearers?
For surnames, Name Census does not age cohorts the way it does for first names. Instead, it takes the Census Bureau's published frequency for Valadez (7.08 per 100,000) and applies that rate to the current U.S. resident population to estimate how many living Americans have the surname today.
How many people have the last name Valadez?
For a quick modern take, check how many people have the last name Valadez on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org.