Velázquez
A Spanish surname that originally meant “son of Velasco,” a name derived from a medieval personal name.
The #530 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 4,844 Americans shares it.
Etymology
Velázquez is the Spanish patronymic form of the older given name Velasco. The suffix -ez in Spanish surnames usually means “son of,” so the name broadly means “son of Velasco.” Velasco itself is generally linked to a medieval Iberian name of Basque origin, though the deeper root is not entirely certain.
History
The surname is long established in Spain and spread widely through the Spanish-speaking world. It is best known internationally through the painter Diego Velázquez (1599–1660), whose fame helped make the name familiar far beyond Iberia. In modern usage, Velázquez and Velazquez are common orthographic variants, with the accent often omitted outside Spanish.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
The spelling without the accent, Velazquez, is especially common in English-language records because accents are often dropped in indexing and immigration documents.
From the historical record
“ARMSTRONG, Sir WALTER. The Art of Velazquez. Illustrated. Super-royal 8vo, 33. 6d. nett. The Life of Velazquez. Illustrated. Super-royal 8vo, 35. 6d. nett. Velazquez. A Study of his Life and Art. With Eight Copper Plates and many minor Illustrations. Super-royal 8vo, cloth, gs. nett. Thomas Gainsborough.…”
— Family Names and their Story