2000
#2,139
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 15,567
First available Census row
Per 100,000 5.77
Uncommon Last name
Valdes
A Spanish patronymic surname derived from the given name "Baldo," meaning "bold" or "brave."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 24,768 Americans carry the last name Valdes. That puts it at #1,617 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 7.23 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 13,839 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Valdes 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
25K
1 in 13,839
Census rank
#1,617
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
7.2
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
22K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 21,599 bearers of the surname Valdes in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 7.23 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 1617th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Valdes, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 89.6%. The next largest groups are White (8.4%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (0.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Valdes
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.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Valdes
Among Census respondents with the surname Valdes, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 89.6%. The next largest groups are White (8.4%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (0.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Valdes 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 Valdes surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Hispanic or Latino89.6% · 19,360
- White8.4% · 1,814
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9% · 197
- Black or African American0.6% · 136
- Two or more races0.4% · 76
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.1% · 16
Timeline
Historical Census data for Valdes
Valdes 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
#1,745
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 20,527
+4,960 bearers (+31.9%)
Per 100,000 6.96
Rank movement Up 394 places
2020
#1,617
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 21,599
+1,072 bearers (+5.2%)
Per 100,000 7.23
Rank movement Up 128 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #2,139 | 15,567 | 5.77 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #1,745 | 20,527 | 6.96 | +4,960 bearers (+31.9%) | Up 394 places |
| 2020 | #1,617 | 21,599 | 7.23 | +1,072 bearers (+5.2%) | Up 128 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 Valdes 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 | #1,745 | #1,617 | 7.3% |
| Count | 20,527 | 21,599 | 5.2% |
| Per 100K | 6.96 | 7.23 | 3.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Valdes bearers went from 20,527 to 21,599 (+5.2% change). The surname moved up 128 positions in the national ranking, going from #1,745 to #1,617.
FAQ
Valdes surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Valdes?
Name Census estimates that about 24,768 living Americans carry the surname Valdes. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 13,839 residents.
How common is Valdes?
Valdes ranks #1,617 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 7.23 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 21,599 people with the surname Valdes. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (24,768), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 7.23 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 7.23 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 Valdes.
Has Valdes become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Valdes went from 20,527 recorded bearers to 21,599. That is an increase of 1,072 (+5.2%). In the national ranking it rose from #1,745 to #1,617.
What does the Census say about the background of Valdes?
Among Census respondents with the surname Valdes, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 89.6%. The next largest groups are White (8.4%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (0.9%). 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 Valdes in the 2020 Census, accounting for 89.6% (19,360 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Valdes appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Hispanic (89.6%), White (8.4%), Asian/Pacific Islander (0.9%). 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 Valdes (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 Valdes mean?
A Spanish patronymic surname derived from the given name "Baldo," meaning "bold" or "brave." 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 Valdes (7.23 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 Valdes?
Want to know how many Americans have the surname Valdes? HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, puts the living-bearer count front and centre.