The surname archive · O Ribeiro
Vázquez
Ribadavia · Cartelle · Castrelo de Miño
The Vázquez Surname in O RibeiroImagined Galician landscape · Original illustration
History
The Vázquez Surname in O Ribeiro
Vázquez ranks eighth in Ourense Province with 101,776 occurrences across 304 municipalities. A patronymic from "Vasco" — a name of Basque origin meaning "crow" or possibly "from the Basques" — the surname reflects the deep cultural exchanges between the Basque and Galician regions throughout the medieval period.
In the Ribeiro wine region, Vázquez maintains a remarkably even distribution: Cenlle leads with 5.44%, followed by Leiro (5.84%), Beade (4.69%), Castrelo de Miño (3.87%), Ribadavia (3.73%), Arnoia (3.82%), and Cartelle (3.70%). This uniformity across all seven municipalities is unusual and suggests an ancient, well-established presence predating late-medieval migration patterns.
The most striking feature of the Vázquez surname in this region is its Inquisition record frequency: 12.07% in Ribadavia, the highest of any surname tracked in this project. This strong presence in converso records points to significant Vázquez involvement in the medieval Jewish community of Ribadavia.
- Rank
- #8
- Total in Ourense
- 101,776
- Percentage
- 2.00%
- Municipalities
- 304
| Municipality | Count | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Ribadavia | 412 | 3.73% |
| Castrelo de Miño | 393 | 3.87% |
| Cartelle | 269 | 3.70% |
| Leiro | 229 | 5.84% |
| Cenlle | 174 | 5.44% |
| Arnoia, A | 94 | 3.82% |
| Beade | 54 | 4.69% |
Family connections
Presence in the Alvarez Family Tree
Vázquez family members appear in both the Castrelo de Miño and Cartelle branches of the Alvarez genealogy.
- Castrelo de Miño
- 54.8% of family members
- Cartelle
- 37.7% of family members
Historical records
Inquisition Records
The Vázquez surname holds the highest Inquisition record frequency in Ribadavia (12.07%) among all surnames tracked in this project, significantly above the regional average.
- Ribadavia trials
- 12.07%
- Portugal trials
- 2.51%