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

Velasques, 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 Velasques surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Velasques in America

Velasques is the 23333rd most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Velasques surname appeared 1,091 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 Velasques.

We can also compare 2010 data for Velasques 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 Velasques

The surname Velasques is believed to have originated in Spain during the medieval period. It is a Spanish variant of the name Velasco, which is derived from the Basque word "belatz," meaning "raven" or "crow." This suggests that the name may have initially referred to someone with dark hair or complexion.

The earliest recorded instances of the name Velasques can be found in various historical documents from the 13th and 14th centuries in regions such as Castile, Aragon, and Navarre. One notable example is the mention of a nobleman named Sancho Velasques in a manuscript from the court of King Alfonso X of Castile in the year 1252.

In the 15th century, the name Velasques gained prominence with the birth of Diego Velasques (1466-1523), a Spanish conquistador who participated in the conquest of Cuba and was appointed as the first governor of the island by Diego Columbus, the son of Christopher Columbus. Diego Velasques played a pivotal role in the early Spanish colonization of the Caribbean.

Another historically significant figure with the surname Velasques was Rodrigo Velasques (1499-1557), a Spanish navigator and explorer who accompanied Hernán Cortés on his expedition to Mexico. Velasques is credited with being one of the first Europeans to witness the Pacific Ocean from the shores of present-day Mexico in 1519.

During the Golden Age of Spanish art in the 17th century, the name Velasques became closely associated with the renowned painter Diego Rodríguez de Silva y Velásquez (1599-1660), widely regarded as one of the greatest artists in the history of Western art. His masterpieces, such as "Las Meninas" and portraits of the Spanish royal family, are iconic works that have had a lasting impact on the art world.

In the realm of literature, the surname Velasques is also notable through the life of Luis de Velasques (1561-1617), a Spanish playwright and poet who was a contemporary of Miguel de Cervantes. His works, including the play "La lena," were highly influential in the development of Spanish theatre during the Baroque period.

These are just a few examples of the rich historical legacy associated with the surname Velasques, which has its roots in the Iberian Peninsula and has left an indelible mark across various fields, from exploration and conquest to art and literature.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Velasques

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

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

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

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