Show ContentsValles History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Etymology of Valles

What does the name Valles mean?

The original bearer of the name Valles, 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. Local names originally denoted the proprietorship of the village or estate. The Valles family lived near a valley. There is also a place-name Valle in Santander, which is in northern Spain. The place-name is derived form the Spanish word valle, the English valley and the French vallee, which all derive from the Latin word vallis.

Early Origins of the Valles family

The surname Valles was first found in Castile, in north central Spain.

Early History of the Valles family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Valles research. Another 70 words (5 lines of text) covering the year 1191 is included under the topic Early Valles History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Valles Spelling Variations

Spelling variations of this family name include: Valle, del Valle, Vallés, Valles, de Valles, Vallecillo, Vallejo, de Vallejo, Vallejos and many more.

Early Notables of the Valles family

Prominent among members of the family were sixteenth century doctor Francisco Vallés, physician to King Philip II; seventeenth century Spanish actress María Antonia Vallejo Fernández; seventeenth century Peruvian poet Juan del Valle y Caviedes; eighteenth century Spanish politician and diplomat Antonio Valle Hernández; nineteenth century Guatemalan writer José Cecilio del Valle; nineteenth century...
Another 53 words (4 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Valles Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Valles Ranking

In the United States, the name Valles is the 3,553rd most popular surname with an estimated 7,461 people with that name. 1 However, in France, the name Valles is ranked the 4,035th most popular surname with an estimated 1,500 - 2,000 people with that name. 2


Valles migration to the United States +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Valles Settlers in United States in the 16th Century
  • Gaspar de Valles, who sailed to America in 1527
Valles Settlers in United States in the 19th Century
  • Dionisio Valles, who landed in Puerto Rico in 1804 3
  • Gaspar De Valles, who arrived in America in 1827 3
  • B Valles, aged 32, who arrived in New Orleans, La in 1841 3
  • P Valles, aged 26, who arrived in New Orleans, La in 1854 3
  • A F Valles, aged 30, who landed in New Orleans, La in 1854 3
  • ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Contemporary Notables of the name Valles (post 1700) +

  • Arlington Valles (1886-1970), born Fred Valles, American Academy Award winning costume designer for his work on Spartacus
  • Judith Valles, American Democratic Party politician, Delegate to Democratic National Convention from California, 2000; Mayor of San Bernardino, California, 2003 4
  • Xavier Vallès Trias (b. 1979), Spanish water polo player at the 2008 and 2012 Summer Olympics
  • Enric Vallès Prat (b. 1990), Spanish professional footballer
  • Adrián Vallés (b. 1986), Spanish race car driver
  • Lorenzo Valles, Spanish painter
  • José Vallés, Spanish actor
  • Gabriel Vallés (b. 1986), Argentine footballer
  • Jules Vallès (1832-1885), French journalist and author


The Valles Motto +

The motto was originally a war cry or slogan. Mottoes first began to be shown with arms in the 14th and 15th centuries, but were not in general use until the 17th century. Thus the oldest coats of arms generally do not include a motto. Mottoes seldom form part of the grant of arms: Under most heraldic authorities, a motto is an optional component of the coat of arms, and can be added to or changed at will; many families have chosen not to display a motto.

Motto: El que mas vale. No vale tanto como valle vale


  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, December 10) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html


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