2000
#789
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 40,030
First available Census row
Per 100,000 14.84
Uncommon Last name
Velazquez
A Spanish habitational surname indicating one who came from any of various places named Velázquez, meaning "descendant of Velasco."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 74,942 Americans carry the last name Velazquez. That puts it at #501 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 21.86 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 4,574 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Velazquez 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
75K
1 in 4,574
Census rank
#501
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
21.9
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
65K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 65,353 bearers of the surname Velazquez in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 21.86 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 501st position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Velazquez, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 95.2%. The next largest groups are White (3.7%) and Black (0.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Velazquez
The surname Velazquez originated in Spain during the medieval period. It is a patronymic name derived from the personal name Velasco, which itself has roots in the Basque language spoken in parts of northern Spain and southern France. Velasco is thought to have originally meant "crow" or "raven" in Basque.
The earliest recorded examples of the Velazquez surname can be found in records from the Kingdom of Castile in the 13th century. It was particularly common in the regions of Old Castile and León. Over time, variations in spelling emerged, such as Velásquez, Velázquez, and Belázquez.
In the 15th century, the name appears in the records of the Spanish Inquisition, with references to individuals such as Juan Velazquez de Cuéllar, who was a prominent inquisitor during the reign of Ferdinand and Isabella.
One of the most famous individuals with the Velazquez surname was the renowned Spanish painter Diego Rodríguez de Silva y Velázquez (1599-1660), who served as the leading artist in the court of King Philip IV. His works, including "Las Meninas" and numerous portraits of the Spanish royal family, are considered masterpieces of the Spanish Golden Age.
Another notable figure was Sebastián Velazquez (c. 1554-1630), a Spanish composer and music theorist who served as the chapelmaster of the Cathedral of Ciudad Rodrigo. His works include a collection of masses and motets.
In the realm of exploration, Juan Rodríguez Velazquez (c. 1530-1610) was a Spanish conquistador and explorer who participated in the conquest of Florida and established several settlements in what is now the southeastern United States.
During the 19th century, Mariano Velazquez de la Cadena (1778-1860) was a prominent Mexican military officer and politician who served as the President of Mexico for a brief period in 1844.
The Velazquez surname has also been present in various literary works, such as the novel "The Velázquez Code" by William Dietrich, which explores the life and works of the famous painter Diego Velázquez.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Velazquez
Among Census respondents with the surname Velazquez, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 95.2%. The next largest groups are White (3.7%) and Black (0.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Velazquez 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 Velazquez surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Hispanic or Latino95.2% · 62,213
- White3.7% · 2,416
- Black or African American0.5% · 336
- Two or more races0.2% · 151
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.2% · 145
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.1% · 92
Timeline
Historical Census data for Velazquez
Velazquez 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
#530
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 63,736
+23,706 bearers (+59.2%)
Per 100,000 21.61
Rank movement Up 259 places
2020
#501
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 65,353
+1,617 bearers (+2.5%)
Per 100,000 21.86
Rank movement Up 29 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #789 | 40,030 | 14.84 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #530 | 63,736 | 21.61 | +23,706 bearers (+59.2%) | Up 259 places |
| 2020 | #501 | 65,353 | 21.86 | +1,617 bearers (+2.5%) | Up 29 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 Velazquez 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 | #530 | #501 | 5.5% |
| Count | 63,736 | 65,353 | 2.5% |
| Per 100K | 21.61 | 21.86 | 1.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Velazquez bearers went from 63,736 to 65,353 (+2.5% change). The surname moved up 29 positions in the national ranking, going from #530 to #501.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Velazquez
FAQ
Velazquez surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Velazquez?
Name Census estimates that about 74,942 living Americans carry the surname Velazquez. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 4,574 residents.
How common is Velazquez?
Velazquez ranks #501 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 21.86 per 100,000 residents, which is about 22 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 65,353 people with the surname Velazquez. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (74,942), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 21.86 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 21.86 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 22 of them to have the surname Velazquez.
Has Velazquez become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Velazquez went from 63,736 recorded bearers to 65,353. That is an increase of 1,617 (+2.5%). In the national ranking it rose from #530 to #501.
What does the Census say about the background of Velazquez?
Among Census respondents with the surname Velazquez, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 95.2%. The next largest groups are White (3.7%) and Black (0.5%). 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 Velazquez in the 2020 Census, accounting for 95.2% (62,213 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Velazquez appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Hispanic (95.2%), White (3.7%), Black (0.5%). 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 Velazquez (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 Velazquez mean?
A Spanish habitational surname indicating one who came from any of various places named Velázquez, meaning "descendant of Velasco." 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 Velazquez (21.86 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 common is the surname Velazquez?
You can see how many Americans have the surname Velazquez on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.