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

Venegas, 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 Venegas surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Venegas in America

Venegas is the 1722nd most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Venegas surname appeared 20,851 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 7 people would have the surname Venegas.

We can also compare 2010 data for Venegas 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 Venegas

The surname Venegas originated in Spain and dates back to the medieval period. It is derived from the Spanish word "venegar," which means "to season with vinegar." This suggests that the name may have initially been an occupational surname for someone who made or sold vinegar.

The earliest known record of the Venegas surname appears in the 13th century, when a certain Rodrigo Venegas was mentioned in a document from the Kingdom of Castile. In the 14th century, the name Venegas was associated with the town of Venegas in the province of Soria, Spain, indicating that some bearers of the name may have originated from or lived in that area.

One notable figure with the surname Venegas was Pedro Venegas (c. 1490-1542), a Spanish conquistador who participated in the conquest of Mexico alongside Hernán Cortés. He was also involved in the exploration and colonization of parts of Central America.

Another prominent Venegas was Miguel Venegas (1680-1764), a Jesuit missionary and explorer who spent many years in California and authored a book entitled "Noticia de la California" (News from California), which provided valuable information about the geography and indigenous peoples of the region.

In the 16th century, a branch of the Venegas family settled in the Americas, particularly in Mexico and Peru. One member of this branch was Francisco Venegas de Córdoba (1555-1623), a Spanish colonial official who served as the governor of Nicaragua and later became the viceroy of New Spain (Mexico).

During the 17th and 18th centuries, the Venegas surname was also found in various parts of Spain, including Andalusia and Castile. One notable individual from this period was Antonio Venegas de Henestrosa (1610-1685), a Spanish poet and playwright who was part of the literary movement known as the Spanish Golden Age.

The Venegas surname has been associated with several place names over the centuries, including Venegas de Soria (a municipality in the province of Soria), Veneguera (a town in Andalusia), and Veneguillas (a municipality in the province of Ávila).

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Venegas

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

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

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

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