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

Valdés, 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 Valdés surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Valdés in America

Valdés is the 1745th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Valdés surname appeared 20,527 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 7 people would have the surname Valdés.

We can also compare 2010 data for Valdés 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 Valdés

The surname Valdes is of Spanish origin, derived from the Spanish word "valle," meaning "valley," and the suffix "-es," denoting a place of origin or possession. It is believed to have originated in the northern regions of Spain, particularly in the regions of Asturias and Cantabria, where many valleys and mountainous landscapes are found.

Historically, the name Valdes can be traced back to the 11th century, during the period of the Reconquista, when Christian kingdoms in the Iberian Peninsula were reclaiming territories from the Moors. It is possible that the name was initially given to individuals or families who lived in or owned lands near valleys or settlements located in these areas.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Valdes appears in the Becerro Gótico de Sahagún, a 12th-century cartulary from the Monastery of Sahagún in the Kingdom of León. This document mentions individuals with the surname Valdes, suggesting that the name was already in use by this time.

In the 13th century, the name Valdes gained prominence with the emergence of Pedro Valdes (c. 1170-1218), a wealthy merchant from Lyon, France, who founded the Waldensian movement, a Christian spiritual movement that challenged the wealth and practices of the Catholic Church. Although not of Spanish descent, his surname is believed to be a variant of the Spanish Valdes.

During the 15th century, the Valdes family played a significant role in the conquest and colonization of the Americas. Juan de Valdes (c. 1470-1541), a Spanish humanist and religious reformer, was born in Cuenca, Spain, and is considered one of the most influential figures of the Spanish Renaissance.

Another notable figure was Diego Valdes (c. 1515-1582), a Spanish military commander and explorer who participated in the conquest of Chile and served as the governor of the territory from 1554 to 1557.

In the 17th century, Juan de Valdes Leal (1622-1690), a Spanish painter from Seville, gained recognition for his religious and still-life paintings, particularly his famous work "Finis Gloriae Mundi" (The End of Earthly Glory).

During the 18th century, José Valdes y Barrena (1767-1843), a Spanish naval officer and cartographer, made significant contributions to the mapping of the Pacific Northwest region of North America, including the coasts of present-day Oregon and Washington.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Valdés

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

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

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

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