VELÁZQUEZ last name popularity, history, and meaning

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

Meaning of VELÁZQUEZ

A Spanish surname potentially derived from the placename Velazquez or related to occupations like miller or baker.

VELÁZQUEZ, 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 VELÁZQUEZ surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of VELÁZQUEZ in America

VELÁZQUEZ is the 29019th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The VELÁZQUEZ surname appeared 818 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 VELÁZQUEZ.

We can also compare 2010 data for VELÁZQUEZ 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.

2010 2000 Change (%)
Rank 29019 41657 -35.76%
Count 818 492 49.77%
Proportion per 100k 0.28 0.18 43.48%

The history of the last name VELÁZQUEZ

The surname Velaquez originated in Spain during the medieval period. It is believed to have derived from the Spanish word "velazquez," which means "little velasco." Velasco itself is thought to be a patronymic surname meaning "son of Blasco," with Blasco being an old Spanish name derived from the Germanic name Blasko.

The earliest recorded instances of the Velaquez surname can be traced back to the 13th century in regions such as Castile and Andalusia. Some of the earliest known bearers of the name include Pedro Velaquez, a merchant from Seville mentioned in records from the year 1284, and Juan Velaquez, a nobleman from Córdoba who fought in the Reconquista against the Moors in the late 13th century.

In the 15th century, the Velaquez surname appeared in various historical documents, including the archives of the Spanish Inquisition. One notable figure from this period was Diego Velaquez de Cuéllar, a Spanish conquistador who participated in the conquest of Mexico alongside Hernán Cortés in the early 16th century.

Throughout the centuries, the Velaquez surname has been associated with several notable individuals. One of the most famous was Diego Rodríguez de Silva y Velaquez (1599-1660), a renowned Spanish painter who served as the leading artist in the court of King Philip IV. His masterpieces, such as "Las Meninas" and "The Surrender of Breda," are considered among the greatest works of the Spanish Golden Age of painting.

Other notable bearers of the Velaquez surname include Miguel Velaquez (1643-1727), a Spanish military engineer and architect who designed several fortifications and public buildings in Spain and Latin America, and Juan Velaquez de León (1620-1675), a Spanish explorer and cartographer who led expeditions into present-day Texas and mapped parts of the American Southwest.

In the 19th century, Manuel Velaquez (1802-1878) was a prominent Mexican lawyer and politician who served as the Minister of Foreign Affairs and Interior during the presidency of Benito Juárez. Additionally, Emilio Velaquez (1834-1892) was a Cuban poet and journalist who played a significant role in the literary and cultural movements of his time.

While the Velaquez surname has its roots in Spain, it has since spread to various parts of the world, including Latin America and other Spanish-speaking regions, due to migration and colonization. The name continues to be borne by individuals of Spanish and Hispanic descent, carrying with it the rich history and cultural heritage of its origins.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name VELÁZQUEZ

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

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 VELÁZQUEZ was:

Race/Ethnicity Percentage Total Occurrences
Non-Hispanic White Only 2.93% 24
Non-Hispanic Black Only 0.98% 8
Non-Hispanic Asian and Pacific Islander Only 0.61% 5
Non-Hispanic American Indian and Alaskan Native (S)% (S)
Non-Hispanic of Two or More Races (S)% (S)
Hispanic Origin 95.35% 780

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 VELÁZQUEZ has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

2010 2000 Change (%)
White 2.93% 4.07% -32.57%
Black 0.98% (S)% (S)%
Asian and Pacific Islander 0.61% (S)% (S)%
American Indian and Alaskan Native (S)% (S)% (S)%
Two or More Races (S)% (S)% (S)%
Hispanic 95.35% 94.31% 1.10%

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

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

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"VELÁZQUEZ last name popularity, history, and meaning". NameCensus.com. Accessed on November 22, 2024. http://namecensus.com/last-names/velaquez-surname-popularity/.

"VELÁZQUEZ last name popularity, history, and meaning". NameCensus.com, http://namecensus.com/last-names/velaquez-surname-popularity/. Accessed 22 November, 2024

VELÁZQUEZ last name popularity, history, and meaning. NameCensus.com. Retrieved from http://namecensus.com/last-names/velaquez-surname-popularity/.

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