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

Vaz, 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 Vaz surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Vaz in America

Vaz is the 13190th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Vaz surname appeared 2,317 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 1 people would have the surname Vaz.

We can also compare 2010 data for Vaz 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 Vaz

The surname VAZ originated in Portugal during the Middle Ages. It is believed to be derived from the Latin word "vasus," meaning "vessel" or "container." This suggests that the name may have initially referred to someone who worked with vessels or containers, such as a potter or a cooper.

In the 13th century, the name appeared in various records from the northern regions of Portugal, particularly in the areas around Braga and Porto. Some of the earliest documented instances of the name include "Vaz" and "Vaaz," which were likely different spellings of the same surname.

One notable historical reference is the mention of a João Vaz in the "Livro Velho de Linhagens" (Old Book of Lineages), a Portuguese manuscript from the 13th century that recorded the genealogies of noble families.

The earliest recorded bearer of the name was Martim Vaz, who lived in the 12th century and was a knight in the service of King Afonso Henriques, the first King of Portugal. Another prominent figure was Pedro Vaz de Caminha, a Portuguese explorer and writer who accompanied Pedro Álvares Cabral on the voyage that led to the discovery of Brazil in 1500.

In the 16th century, the name gained prominence with the explorer Estêvão Vaz Pinto, who is credited with being one of the first Europeans to travel to the African interior. He explored the regions of modern-day Mozambique and Zimbabwe in the 1540s.

During the Age of Exploration, the name spread to other parts of the world as Portuguese explorers and settlers established colonies. One notable figure was Vasco Vaz de Almada, a 16th-century Portuguese navigator and cartographer who helped map the coasts of Brazil and Africa.

In the realm of literature, the name is associated with the 19th-century Portuguese writer Almeida Garrett, whose full name was João Baptista da Silva Leitão de Almeida Garrett Vaz.

Other notable individuals with the surname VAZ include:

1. Afonso Vaz, a 15th-century Portuguese explorer who accompanied Vasco da Gama on his voyage to India.
2. Francisco Vaz de Sequeira, a 16th-century Portuguese navigator and explorer who led an expedition to Malacca.
3. António Vaz, a 17th-century Portuguese Jesuit missionary who worked in Brazil and is known for his writings on the indigenous peoples of the region.
4. João Vaz Corte Real, a 15th-century Portuguese navigator and explorer who was among the first Europeans to explore the coasts of Newfoundland and Labrador.
5. Manuel Vaz Dias, a 16th-century Portuguese explorer who is credited with being the first European to set foot in what is now South Africa.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Vaz

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

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

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

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