Vasquez History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
Spain

Etymology of Vasquez

What does the name Vasquez 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 Vasquez 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 Vasquez family

The surname Vasquez 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 Vasquez family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Vasquez 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 Vasquez History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Vasquez Spelling Variations

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

Early Notables of the Vasquez 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 Vasquez Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Vasquez World Ranking

the United States, the name Vasquez is the 206^th most popular surname with an estimated 126,837 people with that name. 1 However, in France, the name Vasquez is ranked the 5,922^nd most popular surname with an estimated 1,000 - 1,500 people with that name. 2 And in South America, the name Vasquez is the 12^nd popular surname with an estimated 188 people with that name. 3

Vasquez migration to the United States +

Vasquez Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

D Vasquez, who arrived in New Orleans, La in 1829 4
Domingo Vasquez, aged 40, who landed in New Orleans, La in 1829 4
Francisco Vasquez, aged 30, who landed in New Orleans, La in 1829 4
I Vasquez, aged 38, who arrived in New Orleans, La in 1829 4
Jose Vasquez, aged 43, who arrived in New Orleans, La in 1829 4
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Vasquez Settlers in United States in the 20th Century

Agiulino Vasquez, aged 28, who arrived in America from Merida, Mexico, in 1907
Delio Vasquez, aged 0, who arrived in America from La Linea, Spain, in 1907
Antonio Vasquez, aged 20, who arrived in America from Panama, Panama, in 1909
E. Jose Vasquez, aged 31, who arrived in America from Cambre, Spain, in 1910
Adele Vasquez, aged 30, who arrived in America from Baracelona, Spain, in 1911
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Contemporary Notables of the name Vasquez (post 1700) +

Luis Vasquez (d. 2024), better known by his stage name The Soft Moon, an American musician, singer, songwriter, record producer, and composer
Eric Vasquez (b. 1982), American soccer player
Joseph B. "Joe" Vasquez (1962-1995), American independent film maker
Randy Vasquez (b. 1961), American actor
Roberta Vasquez (b. 1963), American model and B-movie actress
Pierre Luis Vasquez (1798-1868), American mountain man and trader
Gaddi Holguin Vasquez (b. 1955), the 8th United States Ambassador to the United Nations Agencies for Food and Agriculture Dept
Jacinto Vásquez (b. 1944), retired American Hall of Fame thoroughbred jockey
Virgil Matthew Vasquez (b. 1982), American Major League Baseball right-handed pitcher
... (Another 31 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Sources +

"What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
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)