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

Vázquez, 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 Vázquez surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Vázquez in America

Vázquez is the 203rd most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Vázquez surname appeared 138,322 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 47 people would have the surname Vázquez.

We can also compare 2010 data for Vázquez 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 Vázquez

The surname Vazquez originated in Spain and Portugal. It is derived from the old Spanish word "vasco," which means a person from the Basque region of northern Spain and southern France. The name likely emerged in the 8th or 9th century during the Reconquista, when Christian armies were reclaiming Spain from Moorish rule.

Early spellings of the name included Vasquez, Basquez, and Vascues. One of the first recorded instances of the name appears in the Codex Calixtinus, a 12th-century manuscript that provides accounts of the pilgrimage to Santiago de Compostela. The name is also found in the Libro de la Montería, a 14th-century manuscript that details hunting exploits in Spain.

One of the earliest notable individuals with the surname was Juan Vazquez de Coronado, a Spanish explorer who led expeditions in the southwestern United States in the 16th century. Another early bearer of the name was Juan Vazquez de Avila, a Spanish conquistador who participated in the conquest of Mexico in the early 1500s.

During the Age of Exploration, the name spread to the Americas and other Spanish colonies. Juan Vazquez de Espinosa, a Spanish priest and explorer, traveled extensively in South America in the early 17th century and wrote about his travels. In the 18th century, Antonio Vazquez de Espinosa was a Spanish naval officer and explorer who made important contributions to the mapping of the Pacific Northwest.

One of the most famous individuals with the surname was the Mexican artist Diego Rivera, whose full name was Diego María de la Concepción Juan Nepomuceno Estanislao de la Rivera y Barrientos Acosta y Rodríguez (1886-1957). His murals and paintings are celebrated for their depictions of Mexican culture and history.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Vázquez

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

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

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

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