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

Velasque, 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 Velasque surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Velasque in America

Velasque is the 110286th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Velasque surname appeared 160 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 Velasque.

We can also compare 2010 data for Velasque 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 Velasque

The surname Velasque has its origins in Spain, dating back to the medieval period. It is believed to have originated from the Spanish word "velasco," which was a variant of the Basque name "Belasco." This name is thought to be derived from the Basque words "bele" meaning "raven" and "asko" meaning "many" or "abundant."

The Velasque name was initially concentrated in the northern regions of Spain, particularly in the Basque Country and the surrounding areas. Some of the earliest recorded instances of this surname can be found in historical documents from the 11th and 12th centuries, such as the "Cartularios" (charter collections) of various monasteries and churches in the region.

One of the earliest known individuals with the surname Velasque was Don Pedro Velasque, a nobleman who lived in the late 12th century and was mentioned in the "Liber Feudorum Maior" (a register of feudal holdings) from the Kingdom of Aragon.

In the 13th century, the Velasque family held significant influence and land holdings in the Basque region. A notable figure from this period was Lope Velasque de Ayala, a powerful lord who was involved in the conflicts between the kingdoms of Castile and Navarre.

As the Velasque name spread throughout Spain, it also became associated with various place names. For instance, the village of Velasquez in the province of Burgos is believed to have derived its name from the Velasque family who owned lands in the area.

During the 16th and 17th centuries, several individuals bearing the Velasque surname achieved prominence. One of them was Diego Velásquez de Cuéllar (1465-1524), a Spanish conquistador who accompanied Hernán Cortés in the conquest of Mexico and later served as the governor of Cuba.

Another notable figure was Diego Velázquez (1599-1660), the renowned Spanish painter who served as the leading artist in the court of King Philip IV. His masterpieces, such as "Las Meninas" and portraits of the Spanish royal family, are among the most celebrated works of the Spanish Golden Age.

In the 18th century, Francisco Velasque y Sandoval (1740-1818) was a prominent Spanish military officer who served as the viceroy of New Granada (present-day Colombia, Ecuador, Panama, and Venezuela) from 1801 to 1803.

The Velasque surname also found its way to the Americas during the Spanish colonization. Some notable figures include Alonso Velasque de Cuellar (1583-1647), a Spanish settler who became one of the first Europeans to explore the region of present-day New Mexico in the United States.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Velasque

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

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

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

Reference this page

We spend a lot of resources downloading, cleaning, merging, and formatting the data that is shown on the site.

If you found the data or information on this page useful in your research, please use the tool below to properly cite or reference Name Census as the source. We appreciate your support!