Valera History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms
The distinguished surname Valera comes from Spain, a country rich in culture and history. The original bearer of the name Valera, 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 Valera family originally lived in the town called Valera, which is in the province of Badajoz. There is also a municipality called Las Valeras, in the province of Cuenca, which is the site of the remains of a fortified Roman city. This place-name is derived from the Latin word Valeria, which was the name for the Roman colony in what is now Hungary, and which shares a common root with the Castilian verb valer. This in turn is derived from the Latin word "valere," which means "strong," "vigorous," or "potent."
Early Origins of the Valera family
The surname Valera was first found in Aragon, in northeastern Spain.
Early History of the Valera family
This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Valera research. Another 195 words (14 lines of text) covering the years 1137, 1148, 1170, 1229, 1238, 1242, 1282 and 1469 are included under the topic Early Valera History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
Valera Spelling Variations
Spelling variations of this family name include: Valera, de Valera, Valero, de Valero, Valerón and many more.
Early Notables of the Valera family
Prominent among members of the family
- were Diego de Valera, majordomo to Queen Isabella and chronicler of King Ferdinand
- fifteenth century naval officer Carlos de Valera
- sixteenth century writer Cipriano Valera
- nineteenth century Venezuelan politician José Gregorio Valera
Valera Ranking
In the United States, the name Valera is the 11,288th most popular surname with an estimated 2,487 people with that name. 1
Valera migration to the United States +
Some of the first settlers of this family name were:
Valera Settlers in United States in the 16th Century
- Leonor de Valera, who sailed to America in 1517
- Antonio Valera, who sailed to America in 1519
- Antonio Valera, who arrived in North America in 1519
- Luis Valera, who sailed to Peru in 1534
- Francisco Valera, who immigrated in 1565
- ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)
Valera Settlers in United States in the 19th Century
- Leonor De Valera, who arrived in America in 1817 2
- Antonio Valera, who landed in America in 1819 2
- Luis Valera, who landed in Peru in 1834 2
- L Valera, who landed in San Francisco, California in 1851 2
- Francisco Valera, who arrived in America in 1865 2
- ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)
Contemporary Notables of the name Valera (post 1700) +
- Sheri Valera, American Republican politician, Delegate to Republican National Convention from Florida, 2004 3
- Alvaro Valera Muñoz-Vargas (b. 1986), Spanish two-time silver and bronze medalist table tennis athlete from Seville
- Juan Valera y Alcalá-Galiano (1824-1905), Spanish realist author, diplomat, and politician
- Juan Valera Espín (b. 1984), Spanish professional footballer
- Don Juan Valera (1824-1905), Spanish novelist
- Reynaldo Valera Guardiano (b. 1954), Philippine singer, songwriter, music director, film scorer and television host
- Julio Enrique Valera Torres (b. 1968), Puerto Rican former Major League Baseball pitcher
- Juan Carlos Pulido Valera (b. 1971), Venezuelan Major League Baseball player
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)
- The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, December 10) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html