2000
#6,523
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,795
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.78
Rare Last name
Vanegas
A Spanish surname derived from the given name "Iñigo," which means "ardent" or "fiery."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 8,184 Americans carry the last name Vanegas. That puts it at #4,798 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 2.39 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 41,881 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Vanegas 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
8.2K
1 in 41,881
Census rank
#4,798
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
2.4
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
7.1K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 7,137 bearers of the surname Vanegas in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 2.39 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 4798th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Vanegas, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 94.0%. The next largest groups are White (4.5%) and Black (0.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Vanegas
The surname Vanegas originated from Spain, and its earliest records can be traced back to the 12th century. The name is believed to have derived from the Spanish word "vega," which means a fertile plain or valley, particularly those found near rivers.
During the Reconquista, a period when Christian kingdoms in the Iberian Peninsula fought to reclaim territories from the Moors, many place names were established. It is likely that the surname Vanegas was originally a toponymic name, referring to someone who lived in or near a particular vega or valley.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Vanegas can be found in the "Libro de las Behetrías de Castilla," a document from the 14th century that cataloged the villages and landholdings in the Crown of Castile. The document mentions individuals with the surname Vanegas residing in various regions of Castile.
In the 15th century, a notable figure with the surname Vanegas was Pedro Vanegas de Córdoba, a Spanish conquistador and explorer. He was born in Córdoba, Spain, around 1470 and participated in the conquest of the Americas, serving under Hernán Cortés in the conquest of Mexico.
Another prominent individual with the surname Vanegas was Alejandro Vanegas Arroyo, a Spanish poet and playwright who lived in the 16th century. He was born in Toledo, Spain, around 1520 and gained recognition for his literary works, including plays and religious poetry.
In the 17th century, Alonso Vanegas Rendón, a Spanish soldier and military commander, played a significant role in the Spanish conquest of the Philippines. He was born in Extremadura, Spain, around 1590 and served as the Governor of the Philippine Islands from 1645 to 1648.
The surname Vanegas was also present in the Spanish colonies of the Americas. In the 18th century, José Antonio Vanegas Arroyo was a Spanish Colonial administrator and military officer who served as the Governor of the Captaincy General of Guatemala from 1783 to 1789.
In the 19th century, Manuel Vanegas y Arroyo, a Spanish lawyer and politician, held various important positions, including serving as the Minister of Justice and the President of the Supreme Court of Spain. He was born in Córdoba, Spain, in 1790 and played a significant role in the political and legal affairs of his time.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Vanegas
Among Census respondents with the surname Vanegas, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 94.0%. The next largest groups are White (4.5%) and Black (0.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Vanegas 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 Vanegas surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Hispanic or Latino94.0% · 6,708
- White4.5% · 324
- Black or African American0.6% · 42
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.4% · 30
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 21
- Two or more races0.2% · 12
Timeline
Historical Census data for Vanegas
Vanegas 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
#4,756
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 7,444
+2,649 bearers (+55.2%)
Per 100,000 2.52
Rank movement Up 1,767 places
2020
#4,798
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 7,137
-307 bearers (-4.1%)
Per 100,000 2.39
Rank movement Down 42 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #6,523 | 4,795 | 1.78 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #4,756 | 7,444 | 2.52 | +2,649 bearers (+55.2%) | Up 1,767 places |
| 2020 | #4,798 | 7,137 | 2.39 | -307 bearers (-4.1%) | Down 42 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 Vanegas 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 | #4,756 | #4,798 | -0.9% |
| Count | 7,444 | 7,137 | -4.1% |
| Per 100K | 2.52 | 2.39 | -5.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Vanegas bearers went from 7,444 to 7,137 (-4.1% change). The surname moved down 42 positions in the national ranking, going from #4,756 to #4,798.
FAQ
Vanegas surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Vanegas?
Name Census estimates that about 8,184 living Americans carry the surname Vanegas. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 41,881 residents.
How common is Vanegas?
Vanegas ranks #4,798 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 2.39 per 100,000 residents, which is about 2 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 7,137 people with the surname Vanegas. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (8,184), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 2.39 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 2.39 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 2 of them to have the surname Vanegas.
Has Vanegas become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Vanegas went from 7,444 recorded bearers to 7,137. That is a decrease of 307 (-4.1%). In the national ranking it fell from #4,756 to #4,798.
What does the Census say about the background of Vanegas?
Among Census respondents with the surname Vanegas, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 94.0%. The next largest groups are White (4.5%) and Black (0.6%). 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 Vanegas in the 2020 Census, accounting for 94.0% (6,708 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Vanegas appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Hispanic (94.0%), White (4.5%), Black (0.6%). 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 Vanegas (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 Vanegas mean?
A Spanish surname derived from the given name "Iñigo," which means "ardent" or "fiery." 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 Vanegas (2.39 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 common is the surname Vanegas?
Want to know how many Americans have the surname Vanegas? HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, puts the living-bearer count front and centre.