Explore the Family Name Vegas

The meaning of Vegas

Spanish: habitational name from any of the places called (Las) Vegas, from the plural of vega ‘fertile plain or lowland; water meadow’ (see Vega). Some characteristic forenames: Spanish Manuel, Raul, Angel, Pedro, Alfredo, Alicia, Angel Luis, Carmelita, Dalia, Eduardo, Genaro, Gustavo.

Dictionary of American Family Names, 2nd edition, © Oxford University Press, 2022.

How common is the last name Vegas in the United States?

Based on the Decennial U.S. Census data, the surname Vegas has seen a slight increase in popularity between 2000 and 2010. In 2000, Vegas was ranked as the 15,720th most popular surname, and by 2010, it improved its ranking to 15,579th. There was also an approximate 10% increase in the number of individuals carrying this surname during this period, rising from 1,706 in 2000 to 1,877 in 2010. This growth also saw the proportion of people named Vegas per 100,000 individuals slightly increase by 1.59%.

	2000	2010	Change
Rank	#15,720	#15,579	0.9%
Count	1,706	1,877	10.02%
Proportion per 100k	0.63	0.64	1.59%

Race and Ethnicity of people with the last name Vegas

The Decennial U.S. Census also provides insight into the ethnic identity of those with the Vegas surname. According to the data, individuals who identify as Hispanic or Latino made up the majority at 68.46% in 2010, showing an increase of 13.72% from 2000. White ethnicity showed a decline, dropping to 24.72% in 2010 from 31.01% in 2000. The representation of Asian/Pacific Islander, Two or more races, Black and American Indian and Alaskan Native within the Vegas surname holders have all experienced minor fluctuations, with the most significant decrease observed among those identifying as American Indian and Alaskan Native (a drop of 38.57%).

	2000	2010	Change
Hispanic	60.2%	68.46%	13.72%
White	31.01%	24.72%	-20.28%
Black	3.11%	3.14%	0.96%
Asian/Pacific Islander	2.87%	1.97%	-31.36%
Two or More Races	2.11%	1.28%	-39.34%
American Indian and Alaskan Native	0.7%	0.43%	-38.57%