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

Valenzuela, 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 Valenzuela surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Valenzuela in America

Valenzuela is the 65244th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Valenzuela surname appeared 304 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 Valenzuela.

We can also compare 2010 data for Valenzuela 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 Valenzuela

The surname Valensuela originates from Spain, where it first appeared in the early 16th century. It is believed to be derived from the Spanish words "valle" meaning valley and "ensuela" meaning shoe, potentially referring to a shoemaker from a particular valley.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the Valensuela name can be found in the parish records of Seville, Spain, dating back to 1524. This suggests that the name may have originated in the Andalusia region of southern Spain.

In the late 16th century, a Juan Valensuela was recorded as a landowner in the town of Écija, near Seville. This provides evidence of the name's presence in this area during that period.

During the 17th century, a María Valensuela was noted as a nun in the convent of Santa Clara in Seville, indicating the name's continued use in the city.

The Valensuela surname also appears in historical records from the Americas, likely brought over by Spanish settlers and explorers. In 1685, a Diego Valensuela was documented as a resident of Havana, Cuba, suggesting that the name had spread to the Caribbean by this time.

One notable individual with the Valensuela surname was José Manuel Valensuela y Patiño (1786-1848), a Spanish-born politician who served as the President of Bolivia from 1845 to 1847.

Another significant figure was Jesús Valensuela (1900-1936), a Spanish poet and playwright who was executed during the Spanish Civil War for his political beliefs.

In the realm of art, the Mexican painter and muralist Diego Rivera (1886-1957) had the middle name Valensuela, which he inherited from his mother's side of the family.

The Valensuela surname also appears in the historical records of the Philippines, which was a Spanish colony for several centuries. One notable figure was Mariano Valensuela (1866-1933), a Filipino lawyer and politician who served as a member of the Philippine Commission during the American colonial period.

Finally, in the field of sports, José Valensuela (1900-1980) was a Cuban baseball player who played in the Negro leagues during the 1920s and 1930s.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Valenzuela

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

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

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

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