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

Villagrán, 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 Villagrán surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Villagrán in America

Villagrán is the 8946th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Villagrán surname appeared 3,659 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 Villagrán.

We can also compare 2010 data for Villagrán 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 Villagrán

The surname Villagran has its origins in Spain, tracing back to the medieval period. It is derived from the Spanish phrase "villa grande," which translates to "large town" or "large village." This suggests that the name may have initially referred to someone who hailed from a prominent or sizable village or settlement.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the Villagran surname can be found in the Becerro de las Behetrias, a medieval manuscript from the 14th century, which documented the names of prominent families and landowners in various regions of Spain. The name appears to have been particularly prevalent in the regions of Castile and León.

During the 15th century, a notable figure bearing the Villagran surname was Pedro de Villagran, who served as a military commander under the Catholic Monarchs, Ferdinand and Isabella. He played a crucial role in the conquest of Granada, the last Moorish stronghold in Spain, in 1492.

In the 16th century, the Villagran name gained prominence in the Spanish colonies of the Americas. One of the most notable individuals was Francisco de Villagran, a Spanish conquistador and explorer who participated in the conquest of Chile alongside Pedro de Valdivia. He later became the Governor of Chile from 1554 to 1557.

Another prominent figure was Gaspar de Villagran, a Spanish soldier and poet who accompanied Hernán Cortés during the conquest of Mexico. He is renowned for his epic poem "Historia de la Nueva México," which chronicled the early exploration and settlement of the region that would later become New Mexico.

In the 17th century, Juan de Villagran y Arellano was a Spanish nobleman and military leader who served as the Governor of New Mexico from 1663 to 1668. He played a pivotal role in defending the region against indigenous uprisings and maintaining Spanish control over the territory.

The Villagran surname has also been associated with various place names throughout Spain and its former colonies. For example, there is a municipality called Villagrán in the Spanish province of Guipúzcoa, as well as a town named Villa Gran in the Argentine province of Entre Ríos, which may have derived its name from the Villagran surname.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Villagrán

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

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

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

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