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

Villarruel, 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 Villarruel surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Villarruel in America

Villarruel is the 16254th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Villarruel surname appeared 1,775 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 Villarruel.

We can also compare 2010 data for Villarruel 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 Villarruel

The surname VILLARRUEL has its origins in Spain, specifically in the region of Castilla-La Mancha. The name traces its roots back to the 13th century and is believed to be derived from the Spanish words "villa" meaning town or village, and "rruel" which is a variation of the word "real," meaning royal.

This surname is thought to have originated from a small town or village that was once under royal patronage or had some connection to the Spanish monarchy. It is possible that the earliest bearers of this name were residents of such a settlement.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name VILLARRUEL can be found in the "Libro de Repartimiento de Sevilla," a historical document from the 13th century that recorded the distribution of land and property in the city of Seville after its reconquest from the Moors.

In the 15th century, a man named Juan Villarruel was mentioned in the records of the Inquisition in Cuenca, a city in the province of Castilla-La Mancha. This suggests that the name was established in the region during that time period.

Throughout history, there have been several notable individuals bearing the surname VILLARRUEL. One such person was Francisco Villarruel (1610-1687), a Spanish Catholic priest and theologian who served as the rector of the University of Salamanca.

Another notable figure was José Villarruel y Villanueva (1765-1824), a Spanish military officer who fought in the Peninsular War against the French during the Napoleonic era.

In the 19th century, Ignacio Villarruel (1821-1892) was a prominent lawyer and politician from Mexico who served as a senator and played a role in the Reform War.

Mariano Villarruel (1861-1939) was a Mexican sculptor and artist known for his works depicting indigenous people and rural life in Mexico.

Additionally, there was a Spanish writer and journalist named Tomás Villarruel (1884-1958) who was active in the early 20th century.

While the surname VILLARRUEL is not among the most common in Spain or Latin America, it has a rich history dating back to the medieval period and has been associated with individuals from various walks of life throughout the centuries.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Villarruel

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

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

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

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