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

Vasquez, 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 Vasquez surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Vasquez in America

Vasquez is the 93513th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Vasquez surname appeared 196 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 Vasquez.

We can also compare 2010 data for Vasquez 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 Vasquez

The surname Vasguez originated in Spain during the medieval period. It is believed to have derived from the Basque language, where "vas" means "son" and "guez" is a patronymic suffix, translating to "son of." The name was likely given to the children of a man named Vasco or a variant spelling.

The earliest recorded instances of the Vasguez name can be traced back to the 13th century in various regions of Spain, including Navarre and the Basque Country. It's also found in historical records from the Kingdom of Aragon and the Principality of Catalonia.

One of the earliest known bearers of the Vasguez name was Rodrigo Vasguez, a noblemen and military leader who fought in the Reconquista against the Moors in the late 12th century. His exploits are documented in several chronicles from that era.

In the 14th century, the Vasguez name appeared in the Catalan Atlas, a renowned medieval world map created by the Majorcan cartographic school. This suggests that individuals with this surname were involved in maritime exploration and trade during that time.

During the 16th century, Juan Vasguez de Coronado, a Spanish explorer and conquistador, led several expeditions in the present-day southwestern United States and Mexico. His journey is well-documented and contributed to the early exploration of the American West.

Another notable figure was Diego Vasguez de Mercado, a Spanish navigator and explorer who accompanied Ferdinand Magellan on his historic voyage around the world in the early 1500s. He played a crucial role in the expedition and was one of the few survivors to return to Spain.

In the realm of literature, the Vasguez surname is associated with Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra, the renowned author of Don Quixote. One of the characters in his famous novel bears the name Vasguez, reflecting the widespread use of the surname during the Golden Age of Spanish literature.

Over time, the Vasguez name has undergone various spelling variations, such as Vásquez, Vázquez, and Velázquez, due to regional dialects and linguistic changes. However, its Basque origins and connection to the patronymic tradition have remained consistent throughout its history.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Vasquez

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

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

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

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