Diaz History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms
The distinguished surname Diaz comes from Spain, a country rich in culture and history. The earliest forms of hereditary surnames in Spain were the patronymic surnames, which are derived from the father's given name, and metronymic surnames, which are derived from the mother's given name. Spanish patronymic names emerged as early as the mid-9th century and the most common patronymic suffix is "ez."
Early Origins of the Diaz family
The surname Diaz was first found in Castile, where the name originated in Visigothic times.
Early History of the Diaz family
This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Diaz research. Another 139 words (10 lines of text) covering the years 1056 and 1233 are included under the topic Early Diaz History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
Diaz Spelling Variations
Spelling variations of this family name include: Díaz, Diaz, Didaz, Díez, Diez, Diz and many more.
Early Notables of the Diaz family
Prominent among members of the family
- Bartholomeu Diaz, Portuguese explorer and discoverer of the Cape of Good Hope
Diaz World Ranking
In the United States, the name Diaz is the 99th most popular surname with an estimated 208,908 people with that name. 1 However, in Quebec, Canada, the name Diaz is ranked the 951st most popular surname. 2 And in France, the name Diaz is the 463rd popular surname with an estimated 9,453 people with that name. 3 South America ranks Diaz as 11st with 256 people. 4
Diaz migration to the United States +
Some of the first settlers of this family name were:
Diaz Settlers in United States in the 16th Century
- Alonso Díaz, to Florida in 1563
- Bartolomé Díaz, to Peru in 1563
- Ana Díaz, to Hispaniola in 1565
- Francisco Díaz, to Cartagena in 1566
Diaz Settlers in United States in the 18th Century
- Andres Diaz, who arrived in Spanish Main in 1768 5
Diaz Settlers in United States in the 19th Century
- Maria DelRosario Diaz, who landed in Puerto Rico in 1802 5
- Jose Diaz, who arrived in Puerto Rico in 1803 5
- Felix Diaz, who arrived in Puerto Rico in 1803 5
- Rosa Diaz, who landed in Puerto Rico in 1804 5
- Antonio Diaz, who arrived in America in 1811 5
- ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)
Diaz 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.
6Diaz Settlers in West Indies in the 16th Century
- Luis Díaz, who immigrated to Cuba in 1561
Diaz Settlers in West Indies in the 19th Century
- Bernal Díaz del Castillo traveled to Cuba, then accompanied Hernán Cortés to Mexico
Contemporary Notables of the name Diaz (post 1700) +
- Alan Diaz (1947-2018), American reporter who won the 2001 Pulitzer Prize for Breaking News Photography
- Cameron Michelle Diaz (b. 1972), American four-time Golden Globe nominated, BAFTA nominated actress
- Alyssa Diaz (b. 1987), American actress
- Eddie Diaz, American Democratic Party politician, Delegate to Democratic National Convention from Iowa, 2008 7
- Eddie Diaz, American Democratic Party politician, Candidate for U.S. Representative from Florida 8th District, 2002 7
- David Diaz, American Republican politician, Delegate to Republican National Convention from Texas, 1988 7
- Darma Diaz, American Democratic Party politician, Delegate to Democratic National Convention from New York, 2004 7
- Dani Diaz, American Democratic Party politician, Delegate to Democratic National Convention from Idaho, 2004 7
- Carlos Diaz, American Republican politician, Delegate to Republican National Convention from Puerto Rico, 2008 7
- Antonio Diaz, American politician, Candidate for U.S. Representative from Texas 20th District, 2012 7
- ... (Another 48 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/
- "The first 1,000 family names by rank, Quebec (in French only)" Institut de la statistique du Quebec, https://statistique.quebec.ca/en/document/family-names-in-quebec/tableau/the-first-1000-family-names-by-rank-quebec
- 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, December 10) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html