Valdez – Meaning of the surname and family history

The last name Valdez is one of the most popular in the Hispanic world. It means “son of Baldo” or “of the valley” and its origin is Spanish. Today, Valdez is a common surname in Spain, Latin America, and the Philippines.

Origin and meaning of the surname Valdez

The last name Valdez originated in Asturias, Spain, and has two meanings. On the one hand, it is a toponymic surname, that is, it refers to a place of origin. Valdés means “of the valley” and comes from the valley located in the Asturian municipality of Valdés. There is also the river Esva. Apparently, the last name Valdez derives from the evolution of the phrase Val dEsva or “valley of Esva”.

The oldest records of this surname belong to the 11th and 12th centuries AD. C. There appears the House of Valdés, one of the most notable families of the Asturian nobility. Later, a branch of this family moved to Seville and from there to the rest of Spain.

Later the last name Valdez also reached the American continent during the Spanish conquest. However, in many cases people with the Valdés variant were registered, instead of Valdez.

The surname Valdez is also patronymic, that is, it refers to the name of the parent of the person who bears it. In this case, it derives from the proper name Baldo, which is of Phoenician origin and means “who protects the king”. Baldo is also the diminutive of the name Ubaldo, which comes from the Germanic words hugu meaning “intelligence” and bald meaning “audacity” or “courage”. Baldo is also a shortened form of Baltasar, the name of one of the three Magi.

Like other Spanish surnames, the Valdez surname includes the suffix -ez, meaning “son of.” In this way, its full meaning is “son of Baldo”.

Curious facts about the last name Valdez

In addition to being one of the most popular Spanish surnames, there are other interesting facts about the Valdez surname:

• Valdez is the 692nd most common surname in the world.
• It is the 47th most popular Hispanic surname.
• The largest number of people with the last name Valdez live in the Dominican Republic. In this country, as in the Philippines, it is the 33rd most common surname.
• It ranks 68th among the most popular surnames in Paraguay, 71st in Mexico and 94th in Argentina.
• The Valdez surname is also quite common in Belize, Cuba, Bolivia, and Guatemala.
• Another variant of the Valdez surname is Valdés.

Celebrities with the last name Valdez

Some of the most famous people with the last name Valdez (or one of its variants) are:

• Lisandra Teresa Ordaz Valdés: Cuban chess player.
• Jerónimo Valdés: 19th century governor of Cuba.
• Juan Gabriel Valdés: Chilean politician.
• Luchi-Cruz Valdes: Philippine journalist.
• Merceditas Valdés: Cuban singer.
• José Manuel Valdés: 19th century Peruvian physician, poet and philosopher.
• Carlos “Patato” Valdés Galán: Cuban percussionist.
• Germán Valdés: Mexican actor and comedian better known as Tin Tan. Several of his brothers were also famous, such as Manuel (“El loco Valdés”), Antonio (“El ratón Valdés”), and Ramón (best known for his role as Don Ramón in El chavo del 8 ).
• Óscar Valdez: Mexican boxer.
• Zoé Valdés: Cuban novelist.
• Viengsay Valdés: Cuban ballet dancer.

Genealogy and resources

Numerous genealogy resources on the Valdez surname and other popular Hispanic surnames can be found on the web. Some of the most used tools to consult family trees and records, as well as search for people with the last name Valdez, are:

• FamilySearch: is a database with more than 1.7 million results of historical records, family trees and other information about the last name Valdez.
• GeneaNet: is a database of records, family trees, DNA results, and other resources about the Valdez surname.
• Ancestry.com: Database with more than 2.8 million digital records of the Valdez last name, such as census results, passenger lists, property deeds, probate, wills, etc.

Sources

• Forebears. Valdez Surname. Forebears.io. Available here .
• Genealogy. Valdez . Genealogy and heraldry. Available here .
• familysearch. Find your family. Discover your story . Available here .
• Geneanet. Valdez . Geneanet.org. Available here .
• My last names. Meaning of Valdes . Available here .
• ancestry. Valdez . Available here .