2000
#1,411
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 23,114
First available Census row
Per 100,000 8.57
Uncommon Last name
Velasco
A habitational surname referring to someone from any of the various places named Velasco in Spain.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 37,602 Americans carry the last name Velasco. That puts it at #1,056 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 10.97 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 9,115 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Velasco 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.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Velasco with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
38K
1 in 9,115
Census rank
#1,056
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
11.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
33K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 32,791 bearers of the surname Velasco in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 10.97 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 1056th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Velasco, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 81.2%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (11.4%) and White (5.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Velasco
The surname Velasco originated in Spain, specifically in the region of Castile. It dates back to the medieval period, around the 11th or 12th century. The name is derived from the Basque word "belatz," which means "raven" or "crow," and the suffix "-co," which is a diminutive form.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the Velasco name can be found in the Becerro de las Behetrías, a medieval manuscript from the 14th century. This document mentions individuals with the surname Velasco holding properties in the region of Castile.
The Velasco family was a prominent noble house in Spain during the Middle Ages and the Renaissance period. One of the most notable figures was Pedro Fernández de Velasco, who lived from 1425 to 1492. He was a powerful nobleman and served as the Constable of Castile during the reign of King Henry IV.
Another prominent individual was Íñigo Fernández de Velasco, who lived from 1462 to 1528. He was the 2nd Duke of Frías and played a significant role in the political affairs of Spain during the reigns of Ferdinand II of Aragon and Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor.
In the 16th century, the Velasco family had strong connections with the Spanish conquest of the Americas. Juan de Velasco y Vázquez, born around 1540, was a Spanish conquistador and served as the governor of Cumaná, a region in present-day Venezuela.
The Velasco surname also has a connection to the Philippines. Miguel López de Legazpi, born around 1502, was a Spanish explorer and the first governor-general of the Philippines. His mother's maiden name was Velasco.
Throughout history, the Velasco name has been associated with various noble families, military figures, and influential individuals in Spain and its former colonies. While the name has evolved over time with slight spelling variations, it has maintained its roots and significance in Spanish history and culture.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Velasco
Among Census respondents with the surname Velasco, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 81.2%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (11.4%) and White (5.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Velasco 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 Velasco surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Hispanic or Latino81.2% · 26,633
- Asian and Pacific Islander11.4% · 3,746
- White5.8% · 1,901
- Two or more races0.9% · 281
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.4% · 127
- Black or African American0.3% · 103
Timeline
Historical Census data for Velasco
Velasco 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
#1,061
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 33,078
+9,964 bearers (+43.1%)
Per 100,000 11.21
Rank movement Up 350 places
2020
#1,056
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 32,791
-287 bearers (-0.9%)
Per 100,000 10.97
Rank movement Up 5 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #1,411 | 23,114 | 8.57 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #1,061 | 33,078 | 11.21 | +9,964 bearers (+43.1%) | Up 350 places |
| 2020 | #1,056 | 32,791 | 10.97 | -287 bearers (-0.9%) | Up 5 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 Velasco 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 | #1,061 | #1,056 | 0.5% |
| Count | 33,078 | 32,791 | -0.9% |
| Per 100K | 11.21 | 10.97 | -2.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Velasco bearers went from 33,078 to 32,791 (-0.9% change). The surname moved up 5 positions in the national ranking, going from #1,061 to #1,056.
FAQ
Velasco surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Velasco?
Name Census estimates that about 37,602 living Americans carry the surname Velasco. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 9,115 residents.
How common is Velasco?
Velasco ranks #1,056 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 10.97 per 100,000 residents, which is about 11 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 32,791 people with the surname Velasco. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (37,602), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 10.97 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 10.97 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 11 of them to have the surname Velasco.
Has Velasco become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Velasco went from 33,078 recorded bearers to 32,791. That is a decrease of 287 (-0.9%). In the national ranking it rose from #1,061 to #1,056.
What does the Census say about the background of Velasco?
Among Census respondents with the surname Velasco, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 81.2%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (11.4%) and White (5.8%). 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 Velasco in the 2020 Census, accounting for 81.2% (26,633 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Velasco appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Hispanic (81.2%), Asian/Pacific Islander (11.4%), White (5.8%). 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 Velasco (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 Velasco mean?
A habitational surname referring to someone from any of the various places named Velasco in Spain. 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 Velasco (10.97 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 people are called Velasco?
If you just want to know how many people have the last name Velasco, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.