2000
#40,465
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 509
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.19
Rare Last name
Vazguez
A Spanish surname derived from the surname Velázquez, meaning "son of Velasco".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 4,401 Americans carry the last name Vazguez. That puts it at #8,268 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.28 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 77,881 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Vazguez 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
4.4K
1 in 77,881
Census rank
#8,268
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.3
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
3.8K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 3,838 bearers of the surname Vazguez in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.28 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 8268th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Vazguez, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 96.6%. The next largest groups are White (2.8%) and Black (0.4%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Vazguez
The surname Vazguez originates from Spain and Portugal, first appearing in records from the 8th century AD during the Moorish conquests of the Iberian Peninsula. It is derived from the Basque given name "Velasco", meaning "crow" in the Basque language.
Early variations of the spelling included Velasquez, Velazquez, and Blasquez. As the name spread across the region, it took on different pronunciations and spelling variations to reflect local dialects and languages.
One of the earliest recorded references to the name Vazguez is in the Becerro de Benitedis, a manuscript from the 13th century documenting noble families in Spain. The name appears in connection with landholdings in the region of Castile.
During the Age of Exploration in the 15th and 16th centuries, many Spaniards bearing the surname Vazguez took part in voyages and expeditions to the New World. Notable individuals include Juan Rodriguez Vazguez, one of the first Spanish settlers in Puerto Rico in the early 1500s.
In 1492, Diego Vazguez accompanied Christopher Columbus on his first voyage to the Americas and later settled in Hispaniola. Another explorer, Alonso Vazguez de Coronado, led expeditions into the present-day southwestern United States in the 1540s, seeking the fabled Seven Cities of Gold.
The name Vazguez also has ties to the arts, with renowned Spanish painter Diego Velázquez (1599-1660) being one of the most famous individuals to bear this surname. His masterpieces, such as "Las Meninas", are considered among the finest works of the Spanish Golden Age of painting.
Other notable figures with the surname Vazguez include Miguel Vazguez (1673-1756), a Spanish composer and organist during the Baroque period, and Juan Vazguez de Mella (1861-1928), a Spanish politician, writer, and orator known for his fiery speeches and defense of traditional Catholic values.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Vazguez
Among Census respondents with the surname Vazguez, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 96.6%. The next largest groups are White (2.8%) and Black (0.4%).
The bar chart below shows how Vazguez 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 Vazguez surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Hispanic or Latino96.6% · 3,706
- White2.8% · 106
- Black or African American0.4% · 14
- Two or more races0.2% · 8
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.1% · 2
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.1% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Vazguez
Vazguez 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
#58,604
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 346
-163 bearers (-32.0%)
Per 100,000 0.12
Rank movement Down 18,139 places
2020
#8,268
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,838
+3,492 bearers (+1009.2%)
Per 100,000 1.28
Rank movement Up 50,336 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #40,465 | 509 | 0.19 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #58,604 | 346 | 0.12 | -163 bearers (-32.0%) | Down 18,139 places |
| 2020 | #8,268 | 3,838 | 1.28 | +3,492 bearers (+1009.2%) | Up 50,336 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 Vazguez 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 | #58,604 | #8,268 | 85.9% |
| Count | 346 | 3,838 | 1009.2% |
| Per 100K | 0.12 | 1.28 | 970.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Vazguez bearers went from 346 to 3,838 (+1009.2% change). The surname moved up 50,336 positions in the national ranking, going from #58,604 to #8,268.
FAQ
Vazguez surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Vazguez?
Name Census estimates that about 4,401 living Americans carry the surname Vazguez. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 77,881 residents.
How common is Vazguez?
Vazguez ranks #8,268 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.28 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 3,838 people with the surname Vazguez. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (4,401), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.28 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.28 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Vazguez.
Has Vazguez become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Vazguez went from 346 recorded bearers to 3,838. That is an increase of 3,492 (+1009.2%). In the national ranking it rose from #58,604 to #8,268.
What does the Census say about the background of Vazguez?
Among Census respondents with the surname Vazguez, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 96.6%. The next largest groups are White (2.8%) and Black (0.4%). 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 Vazguez in the 2020 Census, accounting for 96.6% (3,706 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Vazguez appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Hispanic (96.6%), White (2.8%), Black (0.4%). 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 Vazguez (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 Vazguez mean?
A Spanish surname derived from the surname Velázquez, meaning "son of Velasco". 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 Vazguez (1.28 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 Vazguez?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.