Show ContentsVelasco History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

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  • Spain
Velasco Family Crest Download (JPG) Heritage Series - 600 DPI

Family Crest Download (JPG) Heritage Series - 600 DPI

Etymology of Velasco

What does the name Velasco 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 Velasco 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 Velasco family

The surname Velasco 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 Velasco family

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

Velasco Spelling Variations

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

Early Notables of the Velasco 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 wh...

Velasco Ranking

the United States, the name Velasco is the 2,164th most popular surname with an estimated 14,922 people with that name. 1 However, in France, the name Velasco is ranked the 8,138th most popular surname with an estimated 1,000 - 1,500 people with that name. 2

Velasco migration to the United States +



Velasco Settlers in United States in the 16th Century
  • Bartolomé Velasco, who immigrated to Peru in 1561
  • Antonio Velasco, to Hispaniola in 1563
  • Francisco Velasco, to New Granada in 1565
  • Toribio Velasco, to Cartagena in 1565
  • Diego Velasco, to New Spain in 1565
  • ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)
Velasco Settlers in United States in the 19th Century
  • Melchor Velasco, who landed in America in 1812 3
  • Bernal Velasco, who landed in America in 1812 3
  • Pedro Velasco, who landed in America in 1817 3
  • Miguel De Velasco, who arrived in America in 1828 3
  • Juan De Velasco, who arrived in America in 1828 3
  • ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Contemporary Notables of the name Velasco (post 1700) +

  • Pedro "Pete" Velasco Jr. (1937-2023), American gold and silver medalist volleyball player who competed in the 1964 Summer Olympics and in the 1968 Summer Olympics
  • Oscar A. Velasco, American Republican politician, Candidate for U.S. Representative from California 37th District, 2002; Candidate for Mayor of Carson, California, 2004 4
  • Manuela Velasco (b. 1975), Spanish film actress
  • Luis Antonio Belisario Velasco Baraona (1936-2023), Chilean politician and lawyer, Minister of the Interior (2006–2010)
  • Roel Velasco (b. 1972), retired Filipino boxer
  • Presbitero Velasco Jr. (b. 1948), incumbent Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the Philippines
  • Miguel Alemán Velasco (b. 1932), Mexican politician, businessman and philanthropist
  • María Elena Velasco (b. 1940), Mexican actress and film director
  • Mansueto Velasco (b. 1974), Filipino Olympic silver medalist in boxing
  • ... (Another 2 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)
St. Francis Dam
  • Mr. Librado Velasco, Mexican born American resident in Santa Clarita killed when the St. Francis Dam failed and flooded the area in 1928
  1. "What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
  2. http://www.journaldesfemmes.com/nom-de-famille/nom/
  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. The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, November 24) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html

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