2000
#328
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 84,926
First available Census row
Per 100,000 31.48
Common Last name
Vazquez
A habitational surname referring to someone from any of several places named Vázquez or Velázquez, derived from the Basque "bela" meaning "raven".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 164,408 Americans carry the last name Vazquez. That puts it at #191 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 47.97 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,085 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Vazquez surname. You will find the Census Bureau frequency data, a multi-census history view, an ancestry and ethnicity breakdown based on self-reported demographics, the name's meaning and origin where available, and answers to the most common questions people ask about this surname.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Vazquez with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
164K
1 in 2,085
Census rank
#191
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
48.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
143K
common in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 143,372 bearers of the surname Vazquez in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 47.97 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 191st position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Vazquez, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 95.1%. The next largest groups are White (3.9%) and Black (0.4%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Vazquez
The surname Vazquez originated in Spain and Portugal. It is derived from the old Spanish word "vasco," which means a person from the Basque region of northern Spain and southern France. The name likely emerged in the 8th or 9th century during the Reconquista, when Christian armies were reclaiming Spain from Moorish rule.
Early spellings of the name included Vasquez, Basquez, and Vascues. One of the first recorded instances of the name appears in the Codex Calixtinus, a 12th-century manuscript that provides accounts of the pilgrimage to Santiago de Compostela. The name is also found in the Libro de la Montería, a 14th-century manuscript that details hunting exploits in Spain.
One of the earliest notable individuals with the surname was Juan Vazquez de Coronado, a Spanish explorer who led expeditions in the southwestern United States in the 16th century. Another early bearer of the name was Juan Vazquez de Avila, a Spanish conquistador who participated in the conquest of Mexico in the early 1500s.
During the Age of Exploration, the name spread to the Americas and other Spanish colonies. Juan Vazquez de Espinosa, a Spanish priest and explorer, traveled extensively in South America in the early 17th century and wrote about his travels. In the 18th century, Antonio Vazquez de Espinosa was a Spanish naval officer and explorer who made important contributions to the mapping of the Pacific Northwest.
One of the most famous individuals with the surname was the Mexican artist Diego Rivera, whose full name was Diego María de la Concepción Juan Nepomuceno Estanislao de la Rivera y Barrientos Acosta y Rodríguez (1886-1957). His murals and paintings are celebrated for their depictions of Mexican culture and history.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Vazquez
Among Census respondents with the surname Vazquez, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 95.1%. The next largest groups are White (3.9%) and Black (0.4%).
The bar chart below shows how Vazquez bearers described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given surname, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown for every Census year so the breakdown stays comparable over time. When the source file also includes raw headcounts, Name Census shows those alongside the percentages in the legend.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A person's surname does not determine their race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the Vazquez surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Hispanic or Latino95.1% · 136,342
- White3.9% · 5,625
- Black or African American0.4% · 585
- Two or more races0.2% · 347
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.2% · 342
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.1% · 131
Timeline
Historical Census data for Vazquez
Vazquez appears in 3 published Census surname files: 2000, 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2010
#203
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 138,322
+53,396 bearers (+62.9%)
Per 100,000 46.89
Rank movement Up 125 places
2020
#191
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 143,372
+5,050 bearers (+3.7%)
Per 100,000 47.97
Rank movement Up 12 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #328 | 84,926 | 31.48 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #203 | 138,322 | 46.89 | +53,396 bearers (+62.9%) | Up 125 places |
| 2020 | #191 | 143,372 | 47.97 | +5,050 bearers (+3.7%) | Up 12 places |
For 2020, the Census Bureau published race and Hispanic-origin columns as counts rather than percentages. Name Census converts those counts back into shares so the ancestry section stays comparable with the older surname files.
Year on year
2010 vs 2020 Census
How has the Vazquez surname changed between Census years? The chart shows bearer count side by side, and the table compares rank, count, and frequency.
Census year comparison
20102020
| Metric | 2010 | 2020 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #203 | #191 | 5.9% |
| Count | 138,322 | 143,372 | 3.7% |
| Per 100K | 46.89 | 47.97 | 2.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Vazquez bearers went from 138,322 to 143,372 (+3.7% change). The surname moved up 12 positions in the national ranking, going from #203 to #191.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Vazquez
FAQ
Vazquez surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Vazquez?
Name Census estimates that about 164,408 living Americans carry the surname Vazquez. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,085 residents.
How common is Vazquez?
Vazquez ranks #191 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Common." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 47.97 per 100,000 residents, which is about 48 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 143,372 people with the surname Vazquez. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (164,408), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 47.97 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 47.97 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 48 of them to have the surname Vazquez.
Has Vazquez become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Vazquez went from 138,322 recorded bearers to 143,372. That is an increase of 5,050 (+3.7%). In the national ranking it rose from #203 to #191.
What does the Census say about the background of Vazquez?
Among Census respondents with the surname Vazquez, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 95.1%. The next largest groups are White (3.9%) and Black (0.4%). These figures come from the 2020 Census Bureau surname tables, based on how respondents described their own race and ethnicity.
Which group reports this surname most often?
Hispanic is the largest self-reported group for the surname Vazquez in the 2020 Census, accounting for 95.1% (136,342 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Vazquez appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Hispanic (95.1%), White (3.9%), Black (0.4%). For 2020, the source file also published raw headcounts for each group, which is why this page can show both percentages and counts in the ancestry section.
Is this page using the latest Census data?
Yes. This page is using the latest surname file currently loaded on Name Census, which is 2020. The historical section above also keeps any older Census surname entries we have for Vazquez (2000, 2010, 2020).
Does the Census include every surname?
No. The Census Bureau only publishes surnames that appeared at least 100 times in a given decennial Census. That means very rare surnames are excluded entirely, and a surname can appear in one Census release but disappear from a later one if it falls below the reporting threshold.
Why don't the ancestry percentages always add up to exactly 100%?
There are two main reasons: rounding and suppression. The Census Bureau rounds published values, and it may suppress very small cells to protect privacy. For 2020, the Bureau also published raw group counts rather than direct percentages, so Name Census converts those counts back into shares for comparability across census years.
What does Vazquez mean?
A habitational surname referring to someone from any of several places named Vázquez or Velázquez, derived from the Basque "bela" meaning "raven". The fuller origin note on this page goes into more detail.
Where does the surname data come from?
All surname statistics on Name Census are drawn from the US Census Bureau's decennial surname frequency tables. These files list every surname that appeared 100 or more times in the 2020 Census, along with a count, a per-100,000 rate, and a self-reported demographic breakdown. You can read the full explanation on our methodology page.
How does Name Census estimate living bearers?
For surnames, Name Census does not age cohorts the way it does for first names. Instead, it takes the Census Bureau's published frequency for Vazquez (47.97 per 100,000) and applies that rate to the current U.S. resident population to estimate how many living Americans have the surname today.
How many Americans have the surname Vazquez?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.