Show ContentsVarela History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Varela Family Crest Download (JPG) Heritage Series - 600 DPI

Family Crest Download (JPG) Heritage Series - 600 DPI

Etymology of Varela

What does the name Varela mean?

The illustrious Spanish and Portuguese surname Varela is a proud sign of a rich and ancient heritage. The surname Varela had its origins in a toponym, that is, taken from the name of one of places so named in Spain. Etymologically the word "Varela" comes from the Spanish "vara", with the diminutive suffix "-ela", giving the meaning of "small rod."

Early Origins of the Varela family

The surname Varela was first found in Andalucia, Spain. It is here that the original family coat of arms was recorded. Today Florencio Varela, is a city in Buenos Aires Province, Argentina, José Pedro Varela, is a city in Lavalleja, Uruguay, Los Varela, is a village and municipality in Argentina and Ponte da Varela, is a bridge in Aveiro District, Portugal.

Early History of the Varela family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Varela research. Another 64 words (5 lines of text) covering the years 1540, 1568, 1574, 1580, 1598, 1608, 1616, 1622, 1632, 1645, 1845, 1878 and 1879 are included under the topic Early Varela History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Varela Spelling Variations

In the medieval era, many different cultural groups lived in the German states. There are thus many regional variations of German surnames from that era. Westphalians spoke Low German, which is similar to modern Dutch. Many German names carry suffixes that identify where they came from. Others have phrases attached that identify something about the original bearer. Other variations in German names resulted from the fact that medieval scribes worked without the aid of any spelling rules. The spelling variations of the name Varela include Varela, Varala, Varella and others.

Early Notables of the Varela family

  • was Francisco Varela (c. 1580-1645), a Spanish Baroque painter. Born in Seville, today his works are very scarce, but we do know there are two representations of the Last Supper, one of them made in 1...
  • José Pedro Varela (1845-1879), was a Uruguayan politician, born in Montevideo. José Pedro Varela, Uruguay, is a small Uruguayan city named after him. José Gregorio Valera was the president of Venezuel...

Varela Ranking

the United States, the name Varela is the 2,088th most popular surname with an estimated 14,922 people with that name. 1 However, in South America, the name Varela is ranked the 27th most popular surname with an estimated 120 people with that name. 2

Varela migration to the United States +



Varela Settlers in United States in the 19th Century
  • Andres Varela, who landed in Puerto Rico in 1803 3
  • Cayetano Varela, who landed in Puerto Rico in 1803 3
  • Don Y. Varela, aged 30, Spanish settler who arrived in New York aboard the ship "Draper" in 1823 4
  • Jose Varela, aged 50, who arrived in New Orleans, La in 1830 3
  • Feliz Varela, who arrived in Texas in 1835 3
  • ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)
Varela Settlers in United States in the 20th Century
  • Eleni Varela, aged 25, Greek settler who arrived in New York aboard the ship "SS Patris of Andros" in 1911
  • Constantina Varela, aged 8, Greek settler who arrived in New York aboard the ship "SS Patris of Andros" in 1911

Varela migration to Australia +

Varela Settlers in Australia in the 20th Century
  • Nicolaos Ioannou Varela, aged 42, Greek settler who arrived in Sydney, Australia aboard the ship "Cephee" in 1928 5

Contemporary Notables of the name Varela (post 1700) +

  • Alejandro Varela (b. 1979), American fiction writer, his novel The Town of Babylon was nominated for a National Book Award in 2022
  • Manuel F. Varela, American Republican politician, Postmaster at San Juan, Puerto Rico, 1954-62 6
  • Jose M. Varela, American Democratic Party politician, Alternate Delegate to Democratic National Convention from Puerto Rico, 1996 7
  • Jesús Pérez Varela (1950-2025), Spanish journalist and politician
  • Antonio María Rouco Varela (b. 1936), Spanish prelate of the Roman Catholic Church
  • Amancio Amaro Varela (1939-2023), commonly known simply as Amancio, was a Spanish football player
  • Alejandro Varela López (b. 1979), Spanish former professional footballer
  • Fernando Varela Ramos (b. 1979), Spanish footballer
  • Armando Varela (b. 1997), East Timorese professional footballer
  • ... (Another 10 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)
  1. "What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
  2. "List of most common surnames in South America." Wikipedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_most_common_surnames_in_South_America
  3. 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)
  4. Ellis Island Search retrieved 21st October 2021. Retrieved from https://heritage.statueofliberty.org/passenger-result
  5. National Archives of Australia retrieved 21st October 2021. Retrieved from https://recordsearch.naa.gov.au
  6. The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, November 10) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html

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