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 530th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Velázquez surname appeared 63,736 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 22 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 Velazquez originated in Spain during the medieval period. It is a patronymic name derived from the personal name Velasco, which itself has roots in the Basque language spoken in parts of northern Spain and southern France. Velasco is thought to have originally meant "crow" or "raven" in Basque.

The earliest recorded examples of the Velazquez surname can be found in records from the Kingdom of Castile in the 13th century. It was particularly common in the regions of Old Castile and León. Over time, variations in spelling emerged, such as Velásquez, Velázquez, and Belázquez.

In the 15th century, the name appears in the records of the Spanish Inquisition, with references to individuals such as Juan Velazquez de Cuéllar, who was a prominent inquisitor during the reign of Ferdinand and Isabella.

One of the most famous individuals with the Velazquez surname was the renowned Spanish painter Diego Rodríguez de Silva y Velázquez (1599-1660), who served as the leading artist in the court of King Philip IV. His works, including "Las Meninas" and numerous portraits of the Spanish royal family, are considered masterpieces of the Spanish Golden Age.

Another notable figure was Sebastián Velazquez (c. 1554-1630), a Spanish composer and music theorist who served as the chapelmaster of the Cathedral of Ciudad Rodrigo. His works include a collection of masses and motets.

In the realm of exploration, Juan Rodríguez Velazquez (c. 1530-1610) was a Spanish conquistador and explorer who participated in the conquest of Florida and established several settlements in what is now the southeastern United States.

During the 19th century, Mariano Velazquez de la Cadena (1778-1860) was a prominent Mexican military officer and politician who served as the President of Mexico for a brief period in 1844.

The Velazquez surname has also been present in various literary works, such as the novel "The Velázquez Code" by William Dietrich, which explores the life and works of the famous painter Diego Velázquez.

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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