The Valdez surname

In the 2010 U.S. Census, 124,995 people carried this name — #244 among all U.S. surnames, about 1 in every 2,360 people counted. That is up 27% from 98,610 in 2000.

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What the name means

The meaning of the Valdez surname

A surname, Valdez, from Asturian.

From Valdés. From Asturian Valdés, from Valle de Esva (“Val de Ese”), composed of valle (“valley”) + de (“of”) + Esva (a river in Asturias).

From Wiktionary, the free dictionary (en.wiktionary.org) — entry «Valdez» (Spanish), by Wiktionary contributors · licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 (creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0) · excerpt, lightly adapted.

In Argentina’s national register

At least 72,185 people named Valdez live in Argentina.

RENAPER only publishes a name in a province when more than ten people there share it, so the real number is higher. Most of them live in Buenos Aires Province.

Where it concentrates, on the map

Where they live today

Buenos Aires Province 24,517
Tucumán 9,496
Santa Fe 4,386
Córdoba 4,202
City of Buenos Aires 3,146
Mendoza 2,893
Salta 2,718
Formosa 2,341

RENAPER (National Registry of Persons, Argentina), surnames of residents by province, December 2021 — CC BY 4.0.

In Switzerland’s population statistics

205 people named Valdez live in Switzerland.

They live in 13 of Switzerland’s 26 cantons, most of all in Zurich.

Where it concentrates, on the map

Where they live today

Zurich 65
Geneva 32
Vaud 29
Ticino 22
Bern 12
St. Gallen 11
Lucerne 7
Aargau 6

Swiss Federal Statistical Office (FSO), «Surnames of the permanent resident population by canton», 2025, opendata.swiss/en/dataset/nachnamen-der-standigen-wohnbevolkerung-nach-kanton3 · names with fewer than 3 bearers in a canton are not published.

In France’s civil register

France’s register of deaths holds 20 people named Valdez.

Most of them — 15 — were born outside France. Those born in France came from 3 départements, most often Hérault.

Too few records to say where it concentrates region by region — these are plain counts, not shares.

Where they were born

Born outside France 15
Hérault 2
Hautes-Pyrénées 2
Aude 1

Fichier des personnes décédées, INSEE — Licence Ouverte 2.0 · deaths recorded in France since 1970, by place of birth.

In the Nordic population registers

36 people named Valdez is counted in Sweden.

Sweden’s figure is from 31 December 2022, the last count Statistics Sweden published.

Counted, by country

Sweden (2022) 36

Own calculations based on data from Statistics Sweden (SCB), surnames with at least two bearers, 31 December 2022 — CC BY 4.0 (names with 20 or more bearers shown).

In print

Valdez in American newspapers,
1888–1914.

Newspaper page from The Weekly Messenger carrying the name Valdez
The Weekly Messenger 1888-01-14
Newspaper page from The Washington Herald carrying the name Valdez
The Washington Herald 1914-05-17

Chronicling America, Library of Congress — digitised newspapers in the public domain · 70,358 pages in all carry the name.

In print

Valdez in Australian newspapers,
1850s–1980s.

229 articles name a Mr, Mrs or Miss Valdez. The most, 148, date from the 1930s.

Articles, by state

Queensland 57
New South Wales 35
Victoria 14
ACT (Canberra) 7
Tasmania 2
South Australia 1

Trove, National Library of Australia (trove.nla.gov.au) · articles in its digitised newspapers that name a Mr, Mrs or Miss Valdez.

Who carried it

People named Valdez,
with a public archive behind them.

  • Francisco Valdez
    Francisco Valdez 1877–1918 · painter
  • Jorge Valdez Muñoz d. 1985 · politician
  • Pablo Valdez d. 2010 · writer
  • João Fernandes Valdez d. 1881
  • Juan de Salas y Valdés 1525–1585 · conquistador
  • Juan Valdez 1650– · politician

Wikidata (CC0) · portraits via Wikimedia Commons, shown cropped, in the public domain or CC0 · 10 lives in all are documented under this name.

In the public record

People named Valdez,
in the records of 4 countries.

Soldiers, farmers, migrants and neighbours who carried the name and left a trace in public archives. Everyone shown here died long ago or was born more than a century ago.

United States3,166 records

3,166 records of the Valdez name in the United States
  • U.S. alien registration index, 1940–1955 1,612
  • U.S. Army enlistment records, World War II 874
  • U.S. veterans' cemetery records, burials to 2001 602
  • New York City birth, marriage and death certificates 45
  • U.S. service members who died in the Vietnam War 16
  • New York State death index (outside NYC), 1957–2001 9
  • U.S. service members who died in the Korean War 7
  • Passenger arrivals in the United States, 1820–1912 1
  1. Names engraved on the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, Washington, D.C.
    Example: U.S. war memorial
    War record Gregorio Valdez

    Born 1944; from San Antonio, Texas. U.S. Marine Corps, rifleman; died of wounds 1966 in Quang Tin, South Vietnam. Buried at Fort Sam Houston National Cemetery, Texas.

    U.S. National Archives, Defense Casualty Analysis System (public domain); U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Gravesite Locator (CC0)
  2. A United States Selective Service registration card, 1942
    Example: U.S. registration card, 1942
    Military record Ernest T. Valdez

    Born 1914 in New Mexico. Enlisted 1945 at Fort Bliss El Paso, Texas; miner from San Miguel County. U.S. Army veteran of World War II; died 1979, buried at Fort Bliss National Cemetery, Texas.

    U.S. National Archives, WWII Army Enlistment Records (public domain); U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Gravesite Locator (CC0)
  3. A passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, arriving at New York in 1903
    Example: passenger manifest, 1903
    Passenger record Luiz Valdez

    Arrived at New York in 1904 aboard the Deutschland from Cuxhaven, aged 24; student. From Paris, Guatemala; bound for New York.

    U.S. National Archives, Castle Garden Immigration Center Collection, Ship Passenger Records (unrestricted)

Showing 3 of 3,166 records for Valdez in the United States.

Counts: U.S. National Archives, Flexoline Index Data File (public domain) · U.S. National Archives, WWII Army Enlistment Records (public domain) · U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Gravesite Locator (CC0) · NYC Department of Records & Information Services, Historical Vital Records (NYC Open Data) · U.S. National Archives, Defense Casualty Analysis System (public domain) · New York State Department of Health, Genealogical Research Death Index · U.S. National Archives, Castle Garden Immigration Center Collection, Ship Passenger Records (unrestricted). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Vietnam Veterans Memorial, photo by U.S. Army Sgt. 1st Class Michael J. Carden, 2009 (public domain); U.S. Selective Service registration card, 1942 (public domain); Passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, New York, 1903 (public domain).

France9 records

9 records of the Valdez name in France France's national death register, 1970–2001
  1. A page of the death register of Nice, 1930
    Example: French death register, 1930
    Death record Joseph Francois Valdez

    Born 1921 in Azille (Aude); died 1989 in Béziers (Hérault).

    Insee, Fichier des personnes décédées (Licence Ouverte)
  2. A page of the death register of Nice, 1930
    Example: French death register, 1930
    Death record Esperanza Valdez

    Born 1917 in Spain; died 1996 in Pins-Justaret (Haute-Garonne).

    Insee, Fichier des personnes décédées (Licence Ouverte)
  3. A page of the death register of Nice, 1930
    Example: French death register, 1930
    Death record Paul Mariano Valdez

    Born 1938 in Tarbes; died 1994 in Tarbes (Hautes-Pyrénées).

    Insee, Fichier des personnes décédées (Licence Ouverte)

Showing 3 of 9 records for Valdez in France.

Counts: Insee, Fichier des personnes décédées (Licence Ouverte). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Death register of Nice, 1930, Archives départementales des Alpes-Maritimes (public domain).

Canada2 records

2 records of the Valdez name in Canada
  • City of Calgary cemetery records 1
  • City of Winnipeg cemetery records 1
  1. Fairview Lawn Cemetery in Halifax, Nova Scotia
    Example: Canadian cemetery
    Burial record Pedro C. Valdez

    Died 1991, aged 76; buried at Brookside Cemetery, Winnipeg, Manitoba.

    City of Winnipeg. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Winnipeg.
  2. Fairview Lawn Cemetery in Halifax, Nova Scotia
    Example: Canadian cemetery
    Burial record Ramon Valdez

    Buried in 1989 at Queen's Park Cemetery, Calgary, Alberta, aged 80.

    City of Calgary. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – City of Calgary.

Counts: City of Calgary. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – City of Calgary. · City of Winnipeg. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Winnipeg. Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Fairview Lawn Cemetery, Halifax, photo by Edgar El (CC BY 3.0).

Netherlands1 record

1 record of the Valdez name in the Netherlands Dutch church registers before 1811
  1. A page of the Berlin civil register, 1880
    Example: civil register, 1880
    Civil record Joannes Valdez

    Baptised in 1811 in Amsterdam.

    Open Archives, Stadsarchief Amsterdam (CC BY 4.0)

Counts: Open Archives (CC BY 4.0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Civil register, Berlin, 1880, Landesarchiv Berlin (CC0).

Nearby in the index

Surnames next to Valdez.

When the index is not enough

This page says where Valdez is.
A volume says what happened to it.

Every page in the index is free and stays free. The Heritage Volume is the long form: the full paper trail, the arms, the crossing — bound, and yours.

See the Valdez volume
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