Show ContentsVazquez History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Etymology of Vazquez

What does the name Vazquez 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 Vazquez 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 Vazquez family

The surname Vazquez was first found in Castile, where the name originated in Visigothic times.

Early History of the Vazquez family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Vazquez research. Another 71 words (5 lines of text) covering the years 1110, 1607 and 1661 are included under the topic Early Vazquez History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Vazquez Spelling Variations

Spelling variations of this family name include: Blas, Blasco, Blásquez, Blasquez, Velázquez, Velazquez, Vásquez, Vasquez, Vázquez, Vazquez, Velasco, Vélez, Velez, Velasquez and many more.

Early Notables of the Vazquez family

Prominent among members of the family were Pero Vélez, a thirteenth century Castilian nobleman; Pero Vélez de Guevara, fourteenth century poet; fifteenth century knight Pero Vázquez de Saavedra; Juan Bautista Vázquez of Seville, sixteenth century sculptor; Golden Age court painter Diego Velázquez (whose full name was...
Another 45 words (3 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Vazquez Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Vazquez Ranking

In the United States, the name Vazquez is the 516th most popular surname with an estimated 57,201 people with that name. 1 However, in France, the name Vazquez is ranked the 3,886th most popular surname with an estimated 1,500 - 2,000 people with that name. 2


Vazquez migration to the United States +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Vazquez Settlers in United States in the 16th Century
  • Francisco Vázquez de Coronado, who settled in Mexico in 1535. He explored the Rio Grande and the Grand Canyon, and went as far as Arkansas. His brother Juan emigrated to Central America, and held administrative posts in Guatemala, San Salvador, Honduras, Nicaragua and Costa Rica
Vazquez Settlers in United States in the 19th Century
  • Marcelino Vazquez, who landed in Puerto Rico in 1804 3
  • Juan Vazquez, who landed in America in 1812 3
  • Isabel Vazquez, who arrived in America in 1813 3
  • Mencia Vazquez, who arrived in America in 1813 3
  • Catalina Vazquez, who arrived in America in 1813 3
  • ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Vazquez migration to West Indies +

The British first settled the British West Indies around 1604. They made many attempts but failed in some to establish settlements on the Islands including Saint Lucia and Grenada. By 1627 they had managed to establish settlements on St. Kitts (St. Christopher) and Barbados, but by 1641 the Spanish had moved in and destroyed some of these including those at Providence Island. The British continued to expand the settlements including setting the First Federation in the British West Indies by 1674; some of the islands include Barbados, Bermuda, Cayman Island, Turks and Caicos, Jamaica and Belize then known as British Honduras. By the 1960's many of the islands became independent after the West Indies Federation which existed from 1958 to 1962 failed due to internal political conflicts. After this a number of Eastern Caribbean islands formed a free association. 4
Vazquez Settlers in West Indies in the 19th Century
  • Anton Vazquez, who arrived in Dominican Republic in 1834 3
  • Pedro Vazquez, who landed in Dominican Republic in 1836 3
  • Francisca Vazquez, who landed in Dominican Republic in 1862 3

Contemporary Notables of the name Vazquez (post 1700) +

  • Roberto Vazquez, American Democratic Party politician, Candidate in primary for Texas State House of Representatives 115th District, 2000 5
  • Maria Vazquez, American Democratic Party politician, Alternate Delegate to Democratic National Convention from Illinois, 2008 5
  • Maria Vazquez, American Democratic Party politician, Delegate to Democratic National Convention from Nebraska, 2000 5
  • Leopoldo R. Vazquez, American Republican politician, Delegate to Republican National Convention from Texas, 2004 5
  • Jaime Vazquez, American Democratic Party politician, Delegate to Democratic National Convention from New Jersey, 1980 5
  • Gloria Vazquez, American Democratic Party politician, Presidential Elector for Illinois, 1992 5
  • Emilio J. Vazquez, American Democratic Party politician, Delegate to Democratic National Convention from Florida, 2008 5
  • Javier Carlos Vázquez (b. 1976), American from Puerto Rico who is a pitcher in the Major leagues
  • Pepe Luis Vázquez Silva (1956-2024), Spanish Bullfighter
  • Fernando Vázquez (b. 1954), Spanish Galician football manager
  • ... (Another 8 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)


  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. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_West_Indies
  5. The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2016, January 25) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html


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