Valens History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
Scotland
Spain

Noble surnames, such as Valens, evoke images of the ancient homeland of the Spanish people. The original bearer of the name Valens, 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 and during the late Middle Ages, names that were derived from localities became increasingly widespread. Local names originally denoted the proprietorship of the village or estate. The Valens family originally lived in the place named Valenzuela. This place named is derived from the place-name Valencia, and it means little Valencia. The city of Valencia is situated on the Guadalaviar (now Turia) river. The city was first named Valencia de Campos by the king of Leon in 1150.

Early Origins of the Valens family

The surname Valens was first found in Castile, and important Christian kingdom of medieval Spain.

Early History of the Valens family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Valens research. Another 100 words (7 lines of text) covering the years 1360, 1482, 1505, 1533, 1564, 1630, 1690 and 1692 are included under the topic Early Valens History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Valens Spelling Variations

Spelling variations of this family name include: Valenzuela, de Valenzuela, Valensuela, de Valensuela, Valenz, Valens, Valente, Valiente, Valentín, Valentin and many more.

Early Notables of the Valens family

Prominent among members of the family were Alonzo Valiente (1482-1564), Spanish conqueror, cousin and secretary of Hernan Cortés and secretary, one of the first governors of Mexico City; Juan Valiente (ca. 1505-1533), a Spanish black conquistador who participated in the expeditions of Pedro de Almagro in present-day Guatemala and Chile; Fernando de Valenzuela (1630-1692), 1st Marquis of Villasierra, Grandee of Spain, a Spanish royal favourite...
Another 64 words (5 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Valens Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Valens family

Some of the first settlers of this family name or some of its variants were: Andrés de Valenzuela, who sailed to America in 1511; Diego de Valenzuela, to America in 1517; Andrés Valiente, to America in 1517; Juan de Valenzuela, to Venezuela in 1534.

Contemporary Notables of the name Valens (post 1700) +

Ritchie Valens (1941-1959), born Richard Steven Valenzuela, Mexican-American singer, songwriter and guitarist, best remembered for his song "La Bamba", inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame (2001), killed in a plane crash with Buddy Holly and the Big Bopper, famously referred to as "The Day the Music Died" in Don McLean's 1971 song "American Pie"