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

Villafuerte, 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 Villafuerte surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Villafuerte in America

Villafuerte is the 8854th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Villafuerte surname appeared 3,700 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 1 people would have the surname Villafuerte.

We can also compare 2010 data for Villafuerte 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 Villafuerte

The surname Villafuerte is of Spanish origin, originating from the regions of Spain in the medieval period. It is a compound name derived from the Spanish words "villa," meaning a town or village, and "fuerte," meaning strong or fortified. This suggests that the name may have referred to a fortified town or a strong village.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Villafuerte can be found in the "Libro de Repartimiento de Sevilla," a document from the 13th century that recorded the distribution of land and properties among the Spanish conquerors after the reconquest of Seville in 1248. This document mentions individuals with the surname Villafuerte, indicating that the name was already in use during this time.

The name Villafuerte has also been associated with various historical figures throughout the centuries. In the 16th century, there was a notable Spanish explorer named Álvaro de Villafuerte, who participated in the conquest of Central America and served as a lieutenant under the famous conquistador Pedro de Alvarado. Another prominent individual with the surname was Jerónimo de Villafuerte, a Spanish military officer and colonial administrator who served as the Governor of Panama in the early 17th century.

During the 17th century, the name Villafuerte appeared in various records and manuscripts related to the Spanish colonial presence in the Americas. For instance, there are mentions of Diego de Villafuerte, a Spanish colonial official who held positions in New Spain (present-day Mexico) and Peru in the mid-1600s.

In the 18th century, a notable figure named Félix Villafuerte y Alfaro (1690-1772) served as the Governor of Panama from 1736 to 1743. He played a significant role in the defense of the region against pirate attacks and the expansion of Spanish settlements.

Another prominent individual with the surname Villafuerte was José Tomás de Villafuerte (1810-1875), a Mexican military officer and politician who served as the Governor of the Mexican state of Michoacán during the tumultuous period of the Reform War in the 1850s.

These examples illustrate the historical presence and significance of the surname Villafuerte across various regions and time periods, reflecting its Spanish origins and the influence of individuals bearing this name in various spheres, including exploration, colonial administration, and military affairs.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Villafuerte

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

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

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

Reference this page

We spend a lot of resources downloading, cleaning, merging, and formatting the data that is shown on the site.

If you found the data or information on this page useful in your research, please use the tool below to properly cite or reference Name Census as the source. We appreciate your support!