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

Vélez, 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 Vélez surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Vélez in America

Vélez is the 638th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Vélez surname appeared 53,265 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 18 people would have the surname Vélez.

We can also compare 2010 data for Vélez 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 Vélez

The surname Velez originated in Spain, specifically in the region of Andalusia during the medieval period. It is derived from the Spanish word "vélez," which means "watchtower" or "fortified place." This name was likely given to families who lived near or were associated with a particular watchtower or fortified settlement.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Velez can be found in the Repartimiento de Sevilla, a document from the 13th century that recorded the distribution of land and property after the Reconquista of Seville by the Christian forces. Several individuals with the surname Velez were listed as recipients of land grants in this document.

The name Velez is also connected to several place names in Spain, such as Vélez-Málaga and Vélez-Rubio, both located in Andalusia. These place names likely originated from the Arabic word "balad," meaning "town" or "village," and were later adapted into the Spanish language as "Vélez."

One of the earliest notable individuals with the surname Velez was Diego Velez de Guevara (c. 1450-1520), a Spanish nobleman and military commander who played a crucial role in the Spanish conquest of the Canary Islands in the late 15th century.

Another prominent figure was Juan Velez de Guevara (1529-1591), a Spanish military leader and colonial administrator who served as the governor of Nueva Andalucía (present-day Cumana, Venezuela) in the 16th century.

In the realm of literature, Esteban Velez Guevara (1594-1659) was a Spanish dramatist and poet known for his plays and contributions to the Spanish Golden Age of literature.

During the 18th century, José Velez Zaragoza (1718-1786) was a renowned Spanish painter and engraver who specialized in religious themes and portraits.

Moving into the 19th century, José Velez Cosio (1833-1898) was a prominent Mexican politician and lawyer who served as the governor of the state of Nuevo León from 1887 to 1891.

Throughout its history, the surname Velez has been associated with individuals from various walks of life, including military leaders, colonial administrators, artists, and politicians, reflecting the diverse backgrounds and contributions of those who bear this name.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Vélez

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

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

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

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