Vargas History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
Spain

The original bearer of the name Vargas, which is a local surname, once lived, held land, or was born in the beautiful region of Spain. In Spain, hereditary surnames were adopted according to fairly general rules. Local names originally denoted the proprietorship of the village or estate. The name Vargas is a topographical name that was originally derived from the Spanish word varga, which is a dialectical word used in the northern part of the Iberian Peninsula for hut, slope or a fenced pasture land which becomes waterlogged in winter.

Early Origins of the Vargas family

The surname Vargas was first found in Cantabria, in north-central Spain.

Early History of the Vargas family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Vargas research. Another 74 words (5 lines of text) covering the years 1606, 1643, 1656, 1691, 1697, 1703 and 1704 are included under the topic Early Vargas History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Vargas Spelling Variations

Spelling variations of this family name include: Vargas, Varga and others.

Early Notables of the Vargas family

Prominent among members of the family

was Garci de Vargas, legendary 13th century knight of the Reconquest, who accompanied King Ferdinand III during the taking of Seville
Francisco Vargas, advisor to Queen Isabella
Luis de Vargas, 16th century Spanish painter
Urban de Vargas (1606-1656), a Spanish baroque composer
Francisco Vargas Mejía, law professor and royal advisor to Charles V and Philip II
Diego de Vargas Zapata y Luján Ponce de León y Contreras (1643-1704), commonly known as Don Diego de Vargas, the Spanish Governor of the New Spain territory of Santa Fe de Nuevo México (1691-1697) and...
Dr. José Vargas, 19th century President of Venezuela
Luis Vargas Tejada, 19th century Colombian poet and dramatist

Vargas World Ranking

In the United States, the name Vargas is the 260^th most popular surname with an estimated 101,967 people with that name. 1 However, in France, the name Vargas is ranked the 6,289^th most popular surname with an estimated 1,000 - 1,500 people with that name. 2 And in South America, the name Vargas is the 92^nd popular surname with an estimated 51 people with that name. 3

Vargas migration to the United States +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Vargas Settlers in United States in the 16th Century

Fabián Vargas, who immigrated to Peru in 1560
María Vargas, to Hispaniola in 1562
Juan Vargas, to Peru in 1563
Francisco Vargas, to Hispaniola in 1563
Catalina Vargas, to Peru in 1565
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Vargas Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

Diego Vargas Zapata, Governor and Captain-General of New Mexico during the latter part of the seventeenth century

Vargas Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Hernando De Vargas, who landed in America in 1811 4
Llorente De Vargas, who arrived in America in 1812 4
Agustin De Vargas, who arrived in America in 1812 4
Cristobal De Vargas, who landed in America in 1812 4
Martin De Vargas, who landed in America in 1814 4
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Vargas migration to West Indies +

The British first settled the British West Indies around 1604. They made many attempts but failed in some to establish settlements on the Islands including Saint Lucia and Grenada. By 1627 they had managed to establish settlements on St. Kitts (St. Christopher) and Barbados, but by 1641 the Spanish had moved in and destroyed some of these including those at Providence Island. The British continued to expand the settlements including setting the First Federation in the British West Indies by 1674; some of the islands include Barbados, Bermuda, Cayman Island, Turks and Caicos, Jamaica and Belize then known as British Honduras. By the 1960's many of the islands became independent after the West Indies Federation which existed from 1958 to 1962 failed due to internal political conflicts. After this a number of Eastern Caribbean islands formed a free association. 5

Vargas Settlers in West Indies in the 19th Century

Diego De Vargas, who landed in Dominican Republic in 1834 4

Contemporary Notables of the name Vargas (post 1700) +

Joaquin Alberto Vargas y Chávez (1896-1982), Peruvian painter of pin-up girls; originals of his works have sold for hundreds of thousands of dollars; his works inspired the nose art of many American and Allied World War II aircraft, known for his pin-ups for Esquire magazine "Varga Girls"
Juan C. Vargas (b. 1961), former member of the California State Assembly
Elizabeth Vargas (b. 1962), American television journalist
Oscar F. Vargas, American Democratic Party politician, Candidate in primary for Arizona State Senate 18th District 1998 6
Juan Vargas, American Democratic Party politician, Delegate to Democratic National Convention from California, 2004 6
Heriberto Vargas, American Democratic Party politician, Delegate to Democratic National Convention from New York, 1988, 1996, 2000 (alternate) 6
Grace Vargas, American politician, Mayor of Rialto, California; Elected 2008 6
Francisca D. Vargas, American Democratic Party politician, Delegate to Democratic National Convention from California, 1988 6
Carol Vargas, American Democratic Party politician, Alternate Delegate to Democratic National Convention from Delaware, 1996 6
Bolgen Vargas, American Democratic Party politician, Delegate to Democratic National Convention from New York, 1996, 2000 6
... (Another 17 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Citations +

"What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
http://www.journaldesfemmes.com/nom-de-famille/nom/
"List of most common surnames in South America." Wikipedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_most_common_surnames_in_South_America
Filby, P. William, Meyer, Mary K., Passenger and immigration lists index : a guide to published arrival records of about 500,000 passengers who came to the United States and Canada in the seventeenth, eighteenth, and nineteenth centuries. 1982-1985 Cumulated Supplements in Four Volumes Detroit, Mich. : Gale Research Co., 1985, Print (ISBN 0-8103-1795-8)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_West_Indies
The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, November 10) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html