Vela History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
Spain

Early Origins of the Vela family

The surname Vela was first found in Navarre, one of the medieval Christian kingdoms of northern Spain.

Early History of the Vela family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Vela research. More information is included under the topic Early Vela History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Vela Spelling Variations

Spelling variations of this family name include: Vela, Velez and others.

Early Notables of the Vela family

Another 31 words (2 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Vela Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Vela Ranking

In the United States, the name Vela is the 1,503^rd most popular surname with an estimated 19,896 people with that name. 1

Vela migration to the United States +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Vela Settlers in United States in the 16th Century

Juan Vela, who arrived in the West Indies in 1513
Jorge Vela, who settled in Mexico in 1531
Blas Vela, who arrived in America in 1576

Vela Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Ignacio Vela, who arrived in Puerto Rico in 1811 2
Juan Vela, who landed in America in 1812 2
Martin Vela, who landed in America in 1813 2
Julian Vela, who arrived in America in 1816 2
Jose Vela, who arrived in Puerto Rico in 1823 2
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Vela 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. 3

Vela Settlers in West Indies in the 16th Century

Martin Vela, who settled in the Dominican Republic in 1513

Contemporary Notables of the name Vela (post 1700) +

Blanca Sanchez Vela (1936-2014), American politician and matriarch of one of the most prominent families in Brownsville, Texas
Norma Safford Vela, American television writer, director and producer
Roseanne "Rosie" Vela (b. 1954), American model and singer-songwriter
Manuel M. Vela, American Democratic Party politician, Alternate Delegate to Democratic National Convention from Texas, 1996 4
Luce Vela, American Republican politician, Delegate to Republican National Convention from Puerto Rico, 2008 4
Filemon Vela, American Democratic Party politician, U.S. Representative from Texas 34th District; Elected 2012 4
Blasco Núñez Vela (1490-1546), first Spanish viceroy of Peru
Giuseppe Vela (b. 1977), Brazilian footballer
Arqueles Vela (1899-1977), Mexican writer, journalist and teacher
Sergio Vela (b. 1964), Mexican opera director, designer, radio and television host, musician, lawyer and academician
... (Another 4 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/
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 24) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html