2000
#60,083
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 314
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.12
Rare Last name
Velazguez
A Spanish surname derived from the name "Velázquez", meaning "son of Velasco", an old Spanish personal name.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,313 Americans carry the last name Velazguez. That puts it at #14,285 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.67 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 148,186 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Velazguez 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.
Bearers in the US
2.3K
1 in 148,186
Census rank
#14,285
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.0K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,017 bearers of the surname Velazguez in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.67 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 14285th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Velazguez, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 96.7%. The next largest groups are White (2.5%) and Black (0.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Velazguez
The surname Velazguez is of Spanish origin, with its roots traced back to the medieval era in the Iberian Peninsula. It is believed to have derived from the Spanish personal name Velasco, which itself originated from the Latin name Velascus or Blasius.
One of the earliest recorded references to the name Velazguez can be found in the Becerro de Behetrías, a medieval census document compiled in the 14th century during the reign of King Pedro I of Castile. This document listed various noble families and their holdings, providing valuable insight into the distribution and prominence of surnames in that era.
The Velazguez surname gained particular recognition in the 16th and 17th centuries, when several individuals bearing this name achieved notable success and fame. One of the most renowned was Diego Velázquez (1599-1660), the celebrated Spanish painter renowned for his masterpieces such as "Las Meninas" and portraits of the Spanish royal family.
Another prominent figure was Juan Velazquez de Cuéllar (1475-1520), a Spanish conquistador who participated in the conquest of Cuba and served as the first Spanish governor of that island. His exploits and role in the colonization of the Caribbean region are well-documented in historical records.
In the realm of literature, Juan Antonio Velazquez de Velasco (1722-1805) was a Spanish writer and historian who authored several works on the history and geography of Spain and its colonies in the Americas.
The Velazguez surname has also been associated with various place names across Spain, such as Velázquez de la Guzpeña, a municipality in the province of León, and Velázquez, a village in the province of Soria.
It is worth noting that variations in spelling, such as Velásquez and Velázquez, were not uncommon in historical records, reflecting the evolution of the surname over time and regional differences in orthography.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Velazguez
Among Census respondents with the surname Velazguez, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 96.7%. The next largest groups are White (2.5%) and Black (0.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Velazguez 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 Velazguez surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Hispanic or Latino96.7% · 1,950
- White2.5% · 51
- Black or African American0.5% · 10
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.1% · 3
- Two or more races0.1% · 2
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.0% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Velazguez
Velazguez 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
#88,336
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 210
-104 bearers (-33.1%)
Per 100,000 0.07
Rank movement Down 28,253 places
2020
#14,285
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,017
+1,807 bearers (+860.5%)
Per 100,000 0.67
Rank movement Up 74,051 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #60,083 | 314 | 0.12 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #88,336 | 210 | 0.07 | -104 bearers (-33.1%) | Down 28,253 places |
| 2020 | #14,285 | 2,017 | 0.67 | +1,807 bearers (+860.5%) | Up 74,051 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 Velazguez 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 | #88,336 | #14,285 | 83.8% |
| Count | 210 | 2,017 | 860.5% |
| Per 100K | 0.07 | 0.67 | 864.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Velazguez bearers went from 210 to 2,017 (+860.5% change). The surname moved up 74,051 positions in the national ranking, going from #88,336 to #14,285.
FAQ
Velazguez surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Velazguez?
Name Census estimates that about 2,313 living Americans carry the surname Velazguez. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 148,186 residents.
How common is Velazguez?
Velazguez ranks #14,285 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.67 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 2,017 people with the surname Velazguez. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,313), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.67 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.67 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Velazguez.
Has Velazguez become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Velazguez went from 210 recorded bearers to 2,017. That is an increase of 1,807 (+860.5%). In the national ranking it rose from #88,336 to #14,285.
What does the Census say about the background of Velazguez?
Among Census respondents with the surname Velazguez, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 96.7%. The next largest groups are White (2.5%) and Black (0.5%). 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 Velazguez in the 2020 Census, accounting for 96.7% (1,950 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Velazguez appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Hispanic (96.7%), White (2.5%), Black (0.5%). 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 Velazguez (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 Velazguez mean?
A Spanish surname derived from the name "Velázquez", meaning "son of Velasco", an old Spanish personal name. 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 Velazguez (0.67 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 common is the surname Velazguez?
Our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers how many Americans have the surname Velazguez at a glance, with the living-bearer count up front.