Vélez History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
Spain

In Spain, the earliest forms of hereditary surnames were patronymic surnames, which are derived from the father's given name, and metronymic surnames, which are derived from the mother's given name. The patronymic Vélez is such a name, having been derived from the medieval given name Velasco. This name was in turn derived from the Basque word "bela," which means "crow," and the diminutive suffix sko.

Early Origins of the Vélez family

The surname Vélez was first found in Castile, where the name originated in Visigothic times.

Early History of the Vélez family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Vélez research. Another 71 words (5 lines of text) covering the years 1110, 1607 and 1661 are included under the topic Early Vélez History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Vélez Spelling Variations

Spelling variations of this family name include: Blas, Blasco, Blásquez, Blasquez, Velázquez, Velazquez, Vásquez, Vasquez, Vázquez, Vazquez, Velasco, Vélez, Velez, Velasquez and many more.

Early Notables of the Vélez family

Prominent among members of the family

were Pero Vélez, a thirteenth century Castilian nobleman
Pero Vélez de Guevara, fourteenth century poet
seventeenth century novelist Luis Vélez de Guevara

Vélez Ranking

In the United States, the name Vélez is the 705^th most popular surname with an estimated 42,279 people with that name. 1

Vélez migration to the United States +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Vélez Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Ruy Velez, who arrived in America in 1813 2
Lucia Velez, who arrived in New Spain in 1834 2
Catalina Velez, who landed in Veragua in 1835 2
Francisco Velez, who arrived in Rio de la Plata in 1835 2
Alonso Velez, who landed in America in 1838 2
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Vélez Settlers in United States in the 20th Century

Ana Velez, aged 30, who landed in America from Medellin, Columbia, in 1910
Berta Velez, aged 11, who immigrated to the United States from Mexico City, Mexico, in 1910
Arnaldo Velez, aged 25, who immigrated to the United States from Iquique, Chile, in 1918
Bernardo Velez, aged 39, who settled in America from Solares, Spain, in 1920
Anselo Velez, aged 22, who settled in America, in 1920
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Vélez 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

Vélez Settlers in West Indies in the 19th Century

Isabel Velez, who arrived in Dominican Republic in 1836 2

Contemporary Notables of the name Vélez (post 1700) +

Eddie Velez (b. 1958), Hispanic-American actor
Desiree Marie Velez, Puerto Rican-American actor
Virginia Velez, American Democratic Party politician, Delegate to Democratic National Convention from California, 2008 4
Rosa Velez, American Democratic Party politician, Delegate to Democratic National Convention from New York, 2008 4
Ramon S. Velez, American politician, Delegate to Democratic National Convention from New York, 1972; Victory Candidate for U.S. Representative from New York 21st District, 1978 4
Miguel Velez, American Democratic Party politician, Delegate to Democratic National Convention from New York, 1972 4
Elizabeth Velez, American Democratic Party politician, Presidential Elector for New York, 1996 4
Basilio Velez, American Democratic Party politician, Delegate to Democratic National Convention from Puerto Rico, 1912 4
Miguel G. Ortiz Velez, American Democratic Party politician, Delegate to Democratic National Convention from Puerto Rico, 1996 5
Eusebio Vélez Mandizábal (1935-2020), Spanish cyclist who finished 2nd in the 1966 Vuelta a España and 3rd in the 1968 Vuelta a España
... (Another 6 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
The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, October 23) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html