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

Villaruel, 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 Villaruel surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Villaruel in America

Villaruel is the 42455th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Villaruel surname appeared 511 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 Villaruel.

We can also compare 2010 data for Villaruel 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 Villaruel

The surname Villaruel is believed to have originated in Spain during the medieval period. It is likely derived from the Spanish words "villa," meaning town or village, and "ruel," which may have been a variation of the word "real" or "royal." This suggests that the name could have been associated with a person who lived in or was from a particular town or village that had some connection to royalty or nobility.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname Villaruel can be found in the archives of the Kingdom of Aragon, dating back to the 13th century. These records mention a nobleman named Pedro de Villaruel, who held lands and titles in the region of Valencia.

In the 15th century, the name appears in various documents related to the Spanish Inquisition, where a family by the name of Villaruel was accused of secretly practicing Judaism. This suggests that the name may have had Jewish roots or connections.

During the Age of Exploration, the surname Villaruel spread across the Spanish Empire. In the 16th century, there are records of a conquistador named Juan Villaruel, who participated in the conquest of Mexico under Hernán Cortés.

Another notable figure with the surname Villaruel was María Villaruel, a renowned painter from the 17th century who was active in Madrid. Her works can be found in several prestigious art collections in Spain and Europe.

In the 18th century, a wealthy landowner named Diego Villaruel was instrumental in the establishment of a sugar plantation in Cuba, which played a significant role in the island's economic development during the colonial era.

As for famous bearers of the name in more recent times, there was Antonio Villaruel, a Spanish military officer who fought in the Napoleonic Wars and was awarded the prestigious Order of San Fernando in 1812 for his bravery in battle.

Another notable figure was Margarita Villaruel, a 19th-century educator and advocate for women's rights, who founded several schools in Spain and campaigned for equal access to education for girls.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Villaruel

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

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

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

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