2000
#5,056
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 6,367
First available Census row
Per 100,000 2.36
Rare Last name
Velarde
Derived from a Spanish place name meaning "green valley" or "green lowland," likely referring to someone from such a location.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 8,696 Americans carry the last name Velarde. That puts it at #4,544 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 2.54 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 39,415 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Velarde 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.
Bearers in the US
8.7K
1 in 39,415
Census rank
#4,544
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
2.5
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
7.6K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 7,583 bearers of the surname Velarde in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 2.54 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 4544th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Velarde, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 82.2%. The next largest groups are White (9.2%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (5.4%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Velarde
The surname VELARDE is of Spanish origin and can be traced back to the medieval period. It is believed to have originated from the Spanish word "velardo," which means "watchful" or "vigilant." This suggests that the surname may have been given to someone who was a guard or a watchman.
VELARDE is also thought to be derived from the Basque word "belarde," which means "meadow" or "pasture." This could indicate that the name was initially given to someone who lived near or owned a meadow or pastureland.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname VELARDE can be found in the Becerro de las Behetrías de Castilla, a manuscript from the 14th century that documents the names of landowners and their properties in the Kingdom of Castile. In this manuscript, the name appears as "Velardo."
During the 15th century, the surname VELARDE was particularly prevalent in the northern regions of Spain, such as Asturias and Cantabria. Several notable individuals with this surname emerged from these areas, including Juan Velarde de la Puente (1460-1530), a Spanish soldier and explorer who participated in the conquest of Mexico under Hernán Cortés.
Another notable figure was Pedro Velarde (1779-1808), a Spanish artillery officer who became a national hero during the Peninsular War for his defense of the city of Badajoz against French forces. He was killed in action during the siege of the city.
In the 16th and 17th centuries, the surname VELARDE can be found in various historical records and documents from Spain, such as the Catastro de Ensenada, a census-like survey conducted in the mid-18th century. During this period, the name was also associated with several noble families in Spain, including the Velarde y Salazar family from Cantabria.
Other notable individuals with the surname VELARDE include Diego Velarde (1550-1620), a Spanish painter and architect active in the late Renaissance period, and Juan López de Velarde (1630-1708), a Spanish Jesuit priest and writer who was known for his religious works.
Throughout its history, the surname VELARDE has undergone various spelling variations, such as Velardo, Belarde, and Velart, reflecting the regional differences and linguistic influences within Spain.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Velarde
Among Census respondents with the surname Velarde, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 82.2%. The next largest groups are White (9.2%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (5.4%).
The bar chart below shows how Velarde 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 Velarde surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Hispanic or Latino82.2% · 6,236
- White9.2% · 697
- Asian and Pacific Islander5.4% · 411
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.8% · 140
- Two or more races1.1% · 84
- Black or African American0.2% · 15
Timeline
Historical Census data for Velarde
Velarde 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
#4,371
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 8,135
+1,768 bearers (+27.8%)
Per 100,000 2.76
Rank movement Up 685 places
2020
#4,544
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 7,583
-552 bearers (-6.8%)
Per 100,000 2.54
Rank movement Down 173 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #5,056 | 6,367 | 2.36 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #4,371 | 8,135 | 2.76 | +1,768 bearers (+27.8%) | Up 685 places |
| 2020 | #4,544 | 7,583 | 2.54 | -552 bearers (-6.8%) | Down 173 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 Velarde 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 | #4,371 | #4,544 | -4.0% |
| Count | 8,135 | 7,583 | -6.8% |
| Per 100K | 2.76 | 2.54 | -8.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Velarde bearers went from 8,135 to 7,583 (-6.8% change). The surname moved down 173 positions in the national ranking, going from #4,371 to #4,544.
FAQ
Velarde surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Velarde?
Name Census estimates that about 8,696 living Americans carry the surname Velarde. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 39,415 residents.
How common is Velarde?
Velarde ranks #4,544 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 2.54 per 100,000 residents, which is about 3 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 7,583 people with the surname Velarde. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (8,696), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 2.54 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 2.54 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 3 of them to have the surname Velarde.
Has Velarde become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Velarde went from 8,135 recorded bearers to 7,583. That is a decrease of 552 (-6.8%). In the national ranking it fell from #4,371 to #4,544.
What does the Census say about the background of Velarde?
Among Census respondents with the surname Velarde, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 82.2%. The next largest groups are White (9.2%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (5.4%). 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 Velarde in the 2020 Census, accounting for 82.2% (6,236 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Velarde appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Hispanic (82.2%), White (9.2%), Asian/Pacific Islander (5.4%). 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 Velarde (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 Velarde mean?
Derived from a Spanish place name meaning "green valley" or "green lowland," likely referring to someone from such a location. 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 Velarde (2.54 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 people have the last name Velarde?
For a quick modern take, check how common the surname Velarde is on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org.