2000
#91,801
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 186
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.07
Very Rare Last name
Vargos
A Spanish surname derived from the word "varga" meaning a twig or rod.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 117 Americans carry the last name Vargos. That puts it at #154,755 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.03 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,929,524 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Vargos 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
117
1 in 2,929,524
Census rank
#154,755
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
102
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 102 bearers of the surname Vargos in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.03 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 154755th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Vargos, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 74.5%. The next largest groups are White (23.5%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (1.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Vargos
The surname Vargos is primarily of Spanish origin, originating in the northwestern regions of Spain, particularly in the areas of Galicia and Asturias. It is believed to have derived from the Latin word "vallicus," which means "valley dweller" or "one who resides in a valley."
The earliest recorded instances of the Vargos surname can be traced back to the 12th century, where it appeared in various medieval documents and records. One notable mention is in the Cartulario de Sobrado, a 12th-century manuscript that documented land transactions and legal proceedings in the region of Galicia.
In the 14th century, the name Vargos was documented in the Becerro de las Behetrías, an important historical record that listed the names of landowners and their properties in the Kingdom of Castile. This suggests that the Vargos family held significant landholdings during this period.
One of the earliest known individuals with the surname Vargos was Diego Vargos, a nobleman who lived in the late 15th century. He was a prominent figure in the court of the Catholic Monarchs, Ferdinand II of Aragon and Isabella I of Castile, and played a role in the Spanish conquest of Granada.
During the 16th century, the Vargos surname gained prominence in the New World, as many settlers and explorers with this name ventured to the Americas. One notable figure was Juan Vargos de Moya, a Spanish conquistador who accompanied Hernán Cortés in the conquest of Mexico in the early 1500s.
In the 17th century, a branch of the Vargos family settled in the region of Nueva Galicia (present-day western Mexico), where they established themselves as landowners and ranchers. One prominent member of this branch was Antonio Vargos y Castilla, who was born in 1635 and became a respected military leader and governor of the province of Nayarit.
Another notable individual with the Vargos surname was María Vargos y Alarcón, a renowned poet and writer who lived in Spain during the 18th century. Born in 1705, she was celebrated for her lyrical poetry and her contributions to the literary salons of Madrid.
In the 19th century, the Vargos surname gained recognition in the field of art and literature. José Vargos y Prada, born in 1821, was a renowned Spanish painter known for his historical and religious works, which adorned many churches and public buildings in Spain.
The 20th century saw the Vargos surname spread further across the globe, with individuals bearing this name making significant contributions in various fields. One notable figure was Andrés Vargos Llosa, a Peruvian writer and journalist born in 1939, who was renowned for his novels and essays exploring themes of identity and social issues in Latin America.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Vargos
Among Census respondents with the surname Vargos, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 74.5%. The next largest groups are White (23.5%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (1.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Vargos 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 Vargos surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Hispanic or Latino74.5% · 76
- White23.5% · 24
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.0% · 1
- Two or more races1.0% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Vargos
Vargos 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
#160,975
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 100
-86 bearers (-46.2%)
Per 100,000 0.03
Rank movement Down 69,174 places
2020
#154,755
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 102
+2 bearers (+2.0%)
Per 100,000 0.03
Rank movement Up 6,220 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #91,801 | 186 | 0.07 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #160,975 | 100 | 0.03 | -86 bearers (-46.2%) | Down 69,174 places |
| 2020 | #154,755 | 102 | 0.03 | +2 bearers (+2.0%) | Up 6,220 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 Vargos 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 | #160,975 | #154,755 | 3.9% |
| Count | 100 | 102 | 2.0% |
| Per 100K | 0.03 | 0.03 | 13.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Vargos bearers went from 100 to 102 (+2.0% change). The surname moved up 6,220 positions in the national ranking, going from #160,975 to #154,755.
FAQ
Vargos surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Vargos?
Name Census estimates that about 117 living Americans carry the surname Vargos. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,929,524 residents.
How common is Vargos?
Vargos ranks #154,755 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.03 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 102 people with the surname Vargos. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (117), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.03 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.03 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Vargos.
Has Vargos become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Vargos went from 100 recorded bearers to 102. That is an increase of 2 (+2.0%). In the national ranking it rose from #160,975 to #154,755.
What does the Census say about the background of Vargos?
Among Census respondents with the surname Vargos, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 74.5%. The next largest groups are White (23.5%) 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 Vargos in the 2020 Census, accounting for 74.5% (76 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Vargos appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Hispanic (74.5%), White (23.5%), 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 Vargos (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 Vargos mean?
A Spanish surname derived from the word "varga" meaning a twig or rod. 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 Vargos (0.03 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 Vargos?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.