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

Verdugo, 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 Verdugo surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Verdugo in America

Verdugo is the 4885th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Verdugo surname appeared 7,210 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 2 people would have the surname Verdugo.

We can also compare 2010 data for Verdugo 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 Verdugo

The surname Verdugo originated in Spain, likely emerging during the medieval period. It is derived from the Spanish word "verdugo," which means "executioner" or "hangman." This suggests that the name was initially an occupational surname, referring to someone who performed executions or carried out punishments.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the Verdugo surname is in the Libro de la Montería, a 14th-century hunting treatise commissioned by King Alfonso XI of Castile. The document mentions a person named Juan Fernández Verdugo, who was a member of the royal hunting party.

In the 15th century, the name appears in various historical records from the region of Castile, including tax rolls and legal documents. One notable figure from this time was Juan Verdugo, a military commander who served under King Ferdinand II of Aragon during the Spanish conquest of Granada in the late 15th century.

During the 16th and 17th centuries, the Verdugo name gained prominence in Spain and its colonies. Among the noteworthy individuals were Alonso Fernández de Verdugo (1545-1609), a Spanish military leader who served as the governor of the Netherlands during the Eighty Years' War, and Juan Verdugo (1619-1692), a Spanish-born painter who worked in Mexico and is known for his religious works.

In the 18th century, the Verdugo surname can be found in records from various regions of Spain, including Andalusia and Catalonia. One example is José Verdugo (1730-1808), a Spanish naval officer and explorer who participated in several expeditions to the Pacific Northwest of North America.

Another notable figure with the Verdugo name was Pedro Verdugo (1767-1842), a Spanish military officer who fought in the Peninsular War against the French and later served as the governor of Puerto Rico from 1824 to 1827.

While the Verdugo surname has its roots in Spain, it has since spread to other parts of the world, including Latin America and the United States, likely due to Spanish colonization and migration patterns. However, it remains most prevalent in Spain and Hispanic communities.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Verdugo

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

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

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

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