Vasquez
Vázquez in Gascon and Spanish, probably under the influence of Basqu and Aquitanian, a language related to old Basque and spoken in Gascony in Antiquity (similarly the Latin /w/ evolved into /v/ in French, Italian and other languages). Other roots describe it as a Galician surname, in use not only in Galicia but all over Spanish-speaking world.
To a lesser extent it also occurs in Portuguese-speaking countries, where Vasco as surname predominates. Vasquez means "[son] of Vasco" and Vasco comes from the pre-Roman latinized name "Velascus" - a name of uncertain origin and meaning, but probably meaning Basque or Iberian. In Galician-Portuguese the pre-Roman name becomes Velascu > Veascu > Vaasco > Vasco.
It is known that in some Spanish-speaking countries, families of non-Iberian ancestry have also adopted this surname. In Colombia and Argentina, there have been instances of "Watzke" and "Watzka" families, of German-Czech descent, Hispanicizing their surnames to "Vasquez". The surname was chosen as being the one most closely resembling their former name; in Italy a similar phenomenon was noted with some "Watzke" changing to "Vasco". [1]
There are also Spanish cognate surnames Velasco or Velázquez).[2]
List of people with this surname
- Andres Vasquez, a Peruvian-born Swedish football midfielder.
- Andrew Vasquez, Native American flute player
- Catalina Vasquez Villalpando, treasurer of the United States
- Christian Vasquez, Filipino actor
- Domingo Vásquez, president of Honduras 1893-08-07 - 1894-02-22
- Eric Vasquez, an American soccer player
- Fabio Vásquez Castaño, a Colombian rebel and revolutionary
- Fernando Vázquez, Spanish football manager
- Fran Vázquez, Spanish basketball player
- Franco Vázquez, Italo-Argentine footballer
- Francisco Vásquez de Coronado, a Spanish conquistador
- Gabriel Vásquez, a Spanish Jesuit theologian
- Gaddi Vasquez, the 8th United States Representative to the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization
- Greivis Vásquez (born 1987), Venezuelan basketball player
- Horacio Vásquez, a Dominican general and political figure
- Ian Vásquez, director of the Cato Institute's Center for Global Liberty and Prosperity
- Ignacio Vázquez, Mexican football (soccer) player
- Israel Vázquez, Mexican boxer
- Javier Vázquez, Puerto Rican-American baseball pitcher
- Jhonen Vasquez, Californian cartoonist
- Jorge Vásquez, a major league baseball pitcher
- Jorge Vázquez, a New York Yankees minor league first baseman
- Jorge Vázquez Viaña (1939–1967), Bolivian revolutionary
- Joseph Vásquez, an American independent filmmaker
- Juan Vásquez (composer), a Spanish priest and composer of the renaissance
- Juan T. Vázquez Martín, a Cuban abstract painter
- Juanes, full name Juan Esteban Aristizábal Vásquez (Vásquez is his second, or matrilineal, last name), a Colombian rock musician
- Julio César Vásquez, a professional boxer in the super middleweight (168 lb) division
- Junior Vasquez, a New York City club DJ and remixer/producer
- La La Vásquez, Puerto Rican MTV VJ
- Louis Vásquez, a mountain man and trader from Missouri
- Lucas Vásquez de Ayllón, Spanish explorer
- Luis Vasquez, American football player
- Manuel Vázquez Gallego, Spanish comic artist and writer
- Manuel Vázquez Montalbán, Spanish writer
- Mario Vazquez, New York Puerto Rican singer, from American Idol
- Martín Vásquez, Mexican soccer player, also played for US team
- Mona Vasquez, a French critic of Scientology
- Orlando Vásquez, a Nicaraguan weightlifter
- Ramón Vázquez, an American baseball player
- Randy Vasquez, an American actor
- Rafael Vásquez (disambiguation), multiple people
- Rafael Martín Vázquez, a Spanish footballer
- Roberta Vasquez, a Cuban-American model, actress and Playboy playmate
- Roberto Vásquez, a southpaw boxer in the flyweight division
- Sam Vasquez (1972–2007), American MMA fighter
- Tabaré Vázquez, Ex-President of Uruguay
- Tiburcio Vásquez, a Mexican bandit
- Víctor Vázquez, a Spanish footballer
- Walter Vásquez Vejarano, a Peruvian lawyer, politician and President of the Supreme Court
- William Vázquez, Puerto Rican Photographer
Other uses
- Vásquez, a rock band featuring Ricky "the Atomic Elf" Bacchus