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.

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 48530th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Velázquez surname appeared 435 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.

The history of the last name Velázquez

The surname Velazques originated in Spain during the Middle Ages. It is derived from the Spanish word "velasco," which means "crow" or "raven." The name likely referred to someone with dark hair or complexion.

The earliest recorded use of the Velazques surname dates back to the 12th century in the region of Castile, Spain. It was initially spelled as "Velasco" and was associated with several noble families in the area.

One of the earliest known bearers of the Velazques name was Diego Velazquez de Cuéllar, a Spanish conquistador who was born in 1465 in Cuéllar, Spain. He is renowned for leading the Spanish conquest of Cuba in 1511.

Another notable figure with the Velazques surname was Diego Rodríguez de Silva y Velázquez, the famous Spanish painter who lived from 1599 to 1660. He is considered one of the greatest painters of the Spanish Golden Age and is renowned for his masterpieces such as "Las Meninas" and "The Surrender of Breda."

In the 16th century, the Velazques surname was also associated with the town of Velasco, located in the province of Burgos, Spain. It is likely that some bearers of the name adopted the spelling "Velazques" to reflect their connection to this particular place.

During the Spanish colonization of the Americas, the Velazques surname spread to various regions, including Mexico, where it became more prominent. One notable individual was José María Velazco, a Mexican military leader and politician who lived from 1800 to 1882 and played a crucial role in the Reform War.

Another significant bearer of the Velazques name was Luis Velazco, a Spanish explorer and conquistador who lived in the 16th century. He was one of the first Europeans to explore the Amazon River basin and is credited with founding the city of Quito, Ecuador, in 1534.

The Velazques surname has also been associated with various noble families throughout history, including the Velasco family of Spain, which had close ties to the Spanish monarchy and held significant political and military power during the Middle Ages and Renaissance periods.

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:

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.

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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