2000
#221
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 123,952
First available Census row
Per 100,000 45.95
Common Last name
Vargas
Derived from a place name meaning "steep slope" or "cliff" in Spanish and Portuguese.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 200,022 Americans carry the last name Vargas. That puts it at #144 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 58.36 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 1,714 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Vargas 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.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Vargas with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
200K
1 in 1,714
Census rank
#144
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
58.4
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
174K
common in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 174,429 bearers of the surname Vargas in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 58.36 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 144th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Vargas, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 92.2%. The next largest groups are White (5.6%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (1.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Vargas
The surname Vargas traces its origins to Spain and Portugal, with its earliest known records dating back to the 12th century. The name is derived from the Spanish word "varga," meaning a long, thin branch or rod, and is believed to have been initially used as a descriptive surname for someone who lived near or worked with rods or branches.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname Vargas can be found in the Cartulario de la Catedral de Zamora, a 12th-century manuscript from the city of Zamora, Spain. The document mentions a certain "Petrus Varga" in 1173, indicating the use of the name during that time.
In the 13th century, the surname Vargas appeared in several notable historical records, including the Fuero de Soria, a legal code from the city of Soria, Spain, and the Libro Becerro de las Behetrías, a medieval census of landowners in Castile. These records provide valuable insights into the early distribution and prominence of the Vargas surname.
One of the most notable individuals bearing the surname Vargas was Francisco de Vargas (1496-1564), a Spanish conquistador and explorer who participated in the conquest of Mexico alongside Hernán Cortés. He is known for his role in the siege of Tenochtitlan and the establishment of Spanish rule in the region.
Another prominent figure was Luis de Vargas (1502-1568), a Spanish Renaissance painter known for his religious works and portraits. His paintings can be found in various churches and museums throughout Spain, including the Cathedral of Seville and the Prado Museum in Madrid.
In the 16th century, the surname Vargas also appeared in Portugal, where it was associated with the noble Vargas family from the region of Beira Alta. One notable member was Rodrigo de Sequeira Vargas (1512-1583), a Portuguese explorer and navigator who participated in several expeditions to India and the East Indies.
During the 17th century, Juan de Vargas Machuca (1600-1667) was a Spanish military engineer and architect who worked on fortifications and defensive structures in various Spanish territories, including the Philippines and the Americas.
In more recent times, the surname Vargas has been carried by notable individuals such as Mario Vargas Llosa (born 1936), the Peruvian novelist and recipient of the 1990 Nobel Prize in Literature, and Getúlio Vargas (1882-1954), a Brazilian statesman who served as the 17th President of Brazil.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Vargas
Among Census respondents with the surname Vargas, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 92.2%. The next largest groups are White (5.6%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (1.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Vargas 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 Vargas surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Hispanic or Latino92.2% · 160,839
- White5.6% · 9,820
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.0% · 1,759
- Black or African American0.6% · 997
- Two or more races0.4% · 679
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 335
Timeline
Historical Census data for Vargas
Vargas 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
#148
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 173,835
+49,883 bearers (+40.2%)
Per 100,000 58.93
Rank movement Up 73 places
2020
#144
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 174,429
+594 bearers (+0.3%)
Per 100,000 58.36
Rank movement Up 4 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #221 | 123,952 | 45.95 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #148 | 173,835 | 58.93 | +49,883 bearers (+40.2%) | Up 73 places |
| 2020 | #144 | 174,429 | 58.36 | +594 bearers (+0.3%) | Up 4 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 Vargas 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 | #148 | #144 | 2.7% |
| Count | 173,835 | 174,429 | 0.3% |
| Per 100K | 58.93 | 58.36 | -1.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Vargas bearers went from 173,835 to 174,429 (+0.3% change). The surname moved up 4 positions in the national ranking, going from #148 to #144.
FAQ
Vargas surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Vargas?
Name Census estimates that about 200,022 living Americans carry the surname Vargas. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 1,714 residents.
How common is Vargas?
Vargas ranks #144 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Common." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 58.36 per 100,000 residents, which is about 58 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 174,429 people with the surname Vargas. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (200,022), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 58.36 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 58.36 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 58 of them to have the surname Vargas.
Has Vargas become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Vargas went from 173,835 recorded bearers to 174,429. That is an increase of 594 (+0.3%). In the national ranking it rose from #148 to #144.
What does the Census say about the background of Vargas?
Among Census respondents with the surname Vargas, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 92.2%. The next largest groups are White (5.6%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (1.0%). 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 Vargas in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.2% (160,839 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Vargas appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Hispanic (92.2%), White (5.6%), Asian/Pacific Islander (1.0%). 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 Vargas (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 Vargas mean?
Derived from a place name meaning "steep slope" or "cliff" in Spanish and Portuguese. 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 Vargas (58.36 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 Americans have the surname Vargas?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.