Valera History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
Spain

Etymology of Valera

What does the name Valera mean?

The distinguished surname Valera comes from Spain, a country rich in culture and history. The original bearer of the name Valera, which is a local surname, once lived, held land, or was born in the beautiful region of Spain. In Spain, hereditary surnames were adopted according to fairly general rules and during the late Middle Ages, names that were derived from localities became increasingly widespread. Local names originally denoted the proprietorship of the village or estate. The Valera family originally lived in the town called Valera, which is in the province of Badajoz. There is also a municipality called Las Valeras, in the province of Cuenca, which is the site of the remains of a fortified Roman city. This place-name is derived from the Latin word Valeria, which was the name for the Roman colony in what is now Hungary, and which shares a common root with the Castilian verb valer. This in turn is derived from the Latin word "valere," which means "strong," "vigorous," or "potent."

Early Origins of the Valera family

The surname Valera was first found in Aragon, in northeastern Spain.

Early History of the Valera family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Valera research. Another 195 words (14 lines of text) covering the years 1137, 1148, 1170, 1229, 1238, 1242, 1282 and 1469 are included under the topic Early Valera History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Valera Spelling Variations

Spelling variations of this family name include: Valera, de Valera, Valero, de Valero, Valerón and many more.

Early Notables of the Valera family

Prominent among members of the family

were Diego de Valera, majordomo to Queen Isabella and chronicler of King Ferdinand
fifteenth century naval officer Carlos de Valera
sixteenth century writer Cipriano Valera
nineteenth century Venezuelan politician José Gregorio Valera

Valera Ranking

In the United States, the name Valera is the 11,288^th most popular surname with an estimated 2,487 people with that name. 1

Valera migration to the United States +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Valera Settlers in United States in the 16th Century

Leonor de Valera, who sailed to America in 1517
Antonio Valera, who sailed to America in 1519
Antonio Valera, who arrived in North America in 1519
Luis Valera, who sailed to Peru in 1534
Francisco Valera, who immigrated in 1565
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Valera Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Leonor De Valera, who arrived in America in 1817 2
Antonio Valera, who landed in America in 1819 2
Luis Valera, who landed in Peru in 1834 2
L Valera, who landed in San Francisco, California in 1851 2
Francisco Valera, who arrived in America in 1865 2
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Contemporary Notables of the name Valera (post 1700) +

Sheri Valera, American Republican politician, Delegate to Republican National Convention from Florida, 2004 3
Alvaro Valera Muñoz-Vargas (b. 1986), Spanish two-time silver and bronze medalist table tennis athlete from Seville
Juan Valera y Alcalá-Galiano (1824-1905), Spanish realist author, diplomat, and politician
Juan Valera Espín (b. 1984), Spanish professional footballer
Don Juan Valera (1824-1905), Spanish novelist
Reynaldo Valera Guardiano (b. 1954), Philippine singer, songwriter, music director, film scorer and television host
Julio Enrique Valera Torres (b. 1968), Puerto Rican former Major League Baseball pitcher
Juan Carlos Pulido Valera (b. 1971), Venezuelan Major League Baseball player

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)
The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, December 10) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html