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

Villegas, 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 Villegas surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Villegas in America

Villegas is the 716th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Villegas surname appeared 48,599 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 16 people would have the surname Villegas.

We can also compare 2010 data for Villegas 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 Villegas

The surname Villegas originated in Spain during the medieval period. It is derived from the Spanish words "villa," meaning town or village, and "vega," referring to a fertile plain or meadow. This suggests that the name likely originated as a place name, referring to a town or village located in a fertile valley or plain.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Villegas can be found in the Libro de la Montería, a hunting treatise written in the 14th century during the reign of King Alfonso XI of Castile. This text mentions a location called "Villegas de Bureva," located in the province of Burgos, northern Spain.

In the 15th century, the name appears in various historical documents, such as the Libro de las Buenas Andanzas e Fortunas, written by Lope García de Salazar, which mentions a person named Sancho de Villegas. Around the same time, the name is also recorded in the archives of the Spanish Inquisition, referring to individuals who were subjected to investigations or trials.

One notable figure with the surname Villegas was Esteban Manuel de Villegas (1589-1669), a Spanish poet and writer from the Golden Age of Spanish literature. He was known for his lyrical poetry and translations of classical works.

Another prominent individual was Antonio de Villegas (1655-1719), a Spanish playwright and author who wrote numerous comedies and plays during the late 17th and early 18th centuries.

In the 19th century, José Villegas (1801-1878) was a Spanish painter and engraver, known for his portraits and religious works. He served as a court painter to Queen Isabella II of Spain.

The surname Villegas can also be found in Latin American countries, such as Mexico and Colombia, likely due to Spanish colonization and migration. One example is Manuel Villegas (1840-1923), a Mexican general and politician who served as the interim president of Mexico in 1880.

Additionally, Álvaro Villegas Moreno (1923-2013) was a Colombian political scientist and diplomat who served as the ambassador of Colombia to various countries and international organizations.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Villegas

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

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

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

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