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

Valdepeña, 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 Valdepeña surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Valdepeña in America

Valdepeña is the 44730th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Valdepeña surname appeared 480 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 Valdepeña.

We can also compare 2010 data for Valdepeña 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 Valdepeña

The surname Valdepena has its origins in Spain, tracing back to the 16th century. It is derived from the Spanish words "valle" meaning valley and "peña" meaning rock or crag. The name likely originated from a topographic feature, such as a valley surrounded by rocky cliffs, where the earliest bearers of the name may have resided.

One of the earliest recorded mentions of the name Valdepena can be found in the archives of the Inquisition in Toledo, Spain, dating back to the late 1500s. During this period, the name appears in several documents related to trials held by the Spanish Inquisition, suggesting that some individuals with this surname were subjected to scrutiny due to their religious beliefs or practices.

In the 17th century, the name Valdepena appeared in various baptismal records and property deeds in the regions of Castile and Andalusia. One notable individual from this era was Diego Valdepena, a prominent landowner and merchant from Seville, born in 1622 and died in 1697.

As the Spanish Empire expanded across the Americas, the surname Valdepena also found its way to the New World. In the 18th century, records show that a family bearing this name settled in the region of present-day Mexico, particularly in the state of Nuevo León. One of the earliest documented individuals was Juan Valdepena, a soldier and explorer who participated in expeditions to map and settle the northern territories of New Spain, born around 1720.

In the 19th century, the name Valdepena gained further recognition when María Valdepena, a renowned writer and poet from Madrid, published her first collection of poems in 1845. Her work was widely acclaimed and contributed to the literary renaissance of that era in Spain.

Another notable figure from this period was Enrique Valdepena, a Spanish military officer who fought in the Carlist Wars, a series of civil conflicts in Spain between 1833 and 1876. He was born in 1810 in Seville and played a crucial role in several battles, earning him recognition and respect among his contemporaries.

Throughout history, the surname Valdepena has been carried by individuals from various walks of life, from landowners and merchants to soldiers, writers, and poets. While the name may have evolved in spelling and pronunciation over time, its origins remain rooted in the topographic features of the Spanish landscape, serving as a testament to the rich cultural heritage of the Iberian Peninsula.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Valdepeña

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

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

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

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