Vascos History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
Italy
Spain

Etymology of Vascos

What does the name Vascos mean?

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 Vascos 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 Vascos family

The surname Vascos was first found in Galicia, where Velasco (or Blasco) Sánchez (fl. 1153-1181) was an Iberian nobleman who held various political and military offices in three different kingdoms. He was a son of Sancho Núñez and Sancha Enríquez and his father was a son of Nuño Velázquez and brother of Alfonso Núñez (fl. 1101-1135).

From this earliest beginning, the family rose to prominence as a Basque family name in the Basque Country, Spain where they are still prominent to this day.

The Duke of Frías is a hereditary title in the peerage of Spain accompanied by the dignity of Grandee, created in 1492 by King Ferdinand II of Aragon and conferred to his son-in-law Don Bernardino Fernández de Velasco, 2nd Count of Haro, Constable of Castile, and Viceroy of Granada. The House of Velasco was one of the most powerful and influential noble Castilian families of the Middle Ages.

Early History of the Vascos family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Vascos research. Another 71 words (5 lines of text) covering the years 1110, 1500, 1510, 1511, 1525, 1526, 1534, 1549, 1560, 1561, 1564, 1604, 1617, 1688, 1717, 1767 and 1785 are included under the topic Early Vascos History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Vascos Spelling Variations

Spelling variations of this family name include: Vasco, Vasquez, Velásquez, Velasco, Belasco and many more.

Early Notables of the Vascos family

were Gabriel Vásquez (1549-1604), Spanish Jesuit theologian; Juan Vásquez (or Vázquez, c. 1500-1560), a Spanish priest and composer of the Renaissance; José Velásquez (1717-1785), a Spanish soldier who served in Baja California, Alta California and other areas of New Spain, leading notable exploring expeditions and describing the region in his diaries and reports; Juan Velázquez Tlacotzin, an Aztec leader in Tenochtitlan from 1525 to 1526; Diego López de Zúñiga y Velasco, 4th Count of...
Another 73 words (5 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Vascos Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Vascos family

Some of the first settlers of this family name or some of its variants were: Diego Velázquez de Cuéllar, who helped to colonize Cuba, and Lucas Vázquez de Ayllón, a nobleman who voyaged to Mexico with Corté.