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

Veracruz, 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 Veracruz surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Veracruz in America

Veracruz is the 37899th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Veracruz surname appeared 586 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 Veracruz.

We can also compare 2010 data for Veracruz 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 Veracruz

The surname VERACRUZ is of Spanish origin and can be traced back to the early 16th century when Spanish conquistadors arrived in the region of what is now modern-day Mexico. The name is derived from the Spanish phrase "Vera Cruz," meaning "True Cross," which was given to the first Spanish settlement established by Hernán Cortés in 1519 on the Gulf coast of Mexico.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname VERACRUZ appears in the chronicles of Bernal Díaz del Castillo, a Spanish soldier who accompanied Cortés during the conquest of Mexico. Díaz del Castillo mentions a soldier named Juan de Veracruz, who participated in the siege of Tenochtitlan, the capital of the Aztec Empire, in 1521.

During the colonial era, the surname VERACRUZ became associated with the region around the port city of Veracruz, which served as a major entry point for Spanish settlers and goods entering New Spain. Many early settlers and their descendants adopted the surname to signify their connection to this important coastal area.

One notable individual with the surname VERACRUZ was Fray Alonso de Veracruz (c. 1504-1584), a Spanish Franciscan friar and philosopher who played a significant role in the development of early colonial educational institutions in New Spain. He founded the College of Santa Cruz in Tlatelolco, one of the first schools for indigenous Mexicans.

Another prominent figure was Tomás de Veracruz (c. 1566-1637), a Spanish-born Jesuit priest and theologian who served as a professor at the Royal and Pontifical University of Mexico, now known as the National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM). He made significant contributions to the fields of moral philosophy and natural law theory.

In the 19th century, José María Veracruz (1790-1863) was a Mexican military officer and politician who played a role in Mexico's struggle for independence from Spain. He served as a general in the Mexican Army and later held various political positions, including governor of the state of Veracruz.

During the Mexican Revolution in the early 20th century, Cándido Aguilar Veracruz (1889-1950) was a notable revolutionary and military leader who fought alongside Emiliano Zapata in the Liberation Army of the South.

Throughout history, the surname VERACRUZ has maintained its connection to the region of Veracruz, Mexico, and has been carried by individuals from various walks of life, including soldiers, clergy, academics, and political figures, reflecting the rich cultural heritage of this part of the Spanish colonial world.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Veracruz

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

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

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

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