Vargas Family Crest, Coat of Arms and Name History

This is a Portuguese and Spanish (Iberian) habitational surname that referred to people who were from or lived in Vargas in the province of Santander (located of the north coast of Spain), or a topographical last name from the word vargas, the plural of varga, a term meaning “thatched hut”, “steep slope” or “fenced pastureland which becomes waterlogged in winter”. One researcher has tied the name to his ancestor, Alfon de la Varga, a solider from Leon, who lived in the 1400s AD.

Spelling variations of this last name include Varagas, Vargass, Vaargas, Varigas, Vargase, Varrgas, and Varegas. One source claims the name was first found in Cantabria, Spain. It is interesting to note that the surname Varga (no letter S) is usually Hungarian and is an occupational name of a cobbler/shoemaker. Some of the earliest settlers in the New World bearing this surname include Fabian Vargas (Peru 1560), Maria Vargas (Hispaniola 1562), Juan Vargas (Peru 1563), and Francisco Vargas (Hispaniola 1563).

In the United States, this surname ranked 221^st in popularity/commonness as of the 2002 US Census. It ranks particularly high in the six following states: California (79^th), New Jersey (106^th), Utah (106^th), and New York (120^th). In Spain, the name ranks 85^th. In Portugal, the name ranks 498^th. The name ranks as follows throughout Central and South America: Mexico (33^rd), Colombia (14^th), Peru (20^th), Bolivia (2^nd), Peru (2^nd), Venezuela (47^th), Brazil (192^nd), Dominican Republic (30^th), Chile (28^th), Argentina (72^nd), Uruguay (176^th), El Salvador (172^nd), Cuba (153^rd), Panama (47^th), Puerto Rico (47^th), Nicaragua (42^nd), Paraguay (73^rd), Guatemala (118^th), and Honduras (149^th).

There are hundreds of notable people with the Todd surname. This page will mention a handful. Famous people with this last name include: 1) Alfred Vargas (1979) who is a Filipino, actor, model, and politician who served on the Quezon City Council from 2010-2013 and later became a member of the Philippine House of Representatives, 2) Ronald Alejandro Vargas Aranguren (1986) who was a professional Venezuelan soccer (football) player who played from 2002-2017 for various teams include Caracas and the Newcastle Jets, 3) Jorge Vargas (1976) who is a retired Chilean soccer player (of defense) who was born in Santiago and played for various teams between 1995-2012, 4) Gregorio Vargas Hernandez (1970), also known as Goyo Vargas, is a retired Mexican boxer from Santa Maria Nativitas who held the World Boxing Council (WBC) featherweight title in 1993, 5) Claudio Vargas Almonte (1978) who is a Dominican baseball player who played for six different MLB teams from 2003-2010, including the Montreal Expos and Milwaukee Brewers, 6) Virgilio Barco Vargas (1921-1997) who was the 27^th President of Columbia from 1986-1990, born in Cucuta, 7) Diego de Vargas Zapata y Luján Ponce de León y Contreras (1643-1704), better known as Don Diego de Vargas, was the Governor of New Spain and the territory of Sante Fe from 1691-1697 and from 1697-1703, 8) Getulio Dornelles Vargas (1882-1954) who was a lawyer that became the 14^th and 17^th president of Brazil from 1930-1945 and from 1951-1954, and was also a Senator for Rio Grande do Sul from 1946-1951, 9) Jorge Mario Pedro Vargas Llosa, 1st Marquis of Vargas Llosa (1936), better known as Mario Vargas Llosa, was a Peruvian journalist, essayist, writer, college professor, and political who was born in Arequipa and won the Nobel Prize in literature in 2010, and 10) Juan Carlos Vargas (1961) who became a member of the US House of Representatives from California in 2013, having previously served in the California State Assembly and on the San Diego City Council.

Bacilio Vargas was born in Nueva Espana in around 1793. He married Gertrudis Aguilera and had a daughter with her named Doreta who was born in Benavente, Silao, Mexico in around 1817. She married Juan Cabrera and had several children with him. Norberto Vargas was born in Mexico in around 1891. He married Leandra Ruiz and had issue with her including Sarah, Paulo, and Genaro Ruiz Vargas. His son Genaro Ruiz Vargas was born in Bexar, County, Texas in 1919. Juan Vargas was born in 1730. He married Efigenia Perez and had a daughter with her named Luis Leonor Vargas. She was born in 1749, married Lazaro Ruano in 1768 in Cuquio, Jalisco, Mexico, and had a daughter with him named Matilde.

Blazons & Genealogy Notes

1) Madrid – D’azur à quatre fasces ondées d’argent
2) Portugal – D’argent à cinq fasces ondées d’azur à une bordure componnée de gueules et d’argent chaque compon de gueules ch d’une tour d’or sommée de trois tourelles du même (Castille) et chaque compon d’argent ch d’un lion de gueules (Léon) Cimier un lion léopardé d’azur chargé de cinq fasces ondées d’argent. English: Argent with five bars undy azure with a bordure compony gules and argent each piece of the compony gules charged with a tower or surmounted by three turrets of the same and each piece of the compony argent charged with a lion gules Crest: a lion passant azure charged with five bars undy argent.
3) Espagne – Parti au 1 d’or à un arbre de sinople et un chien d’argent passant devant le fût au 2 d’azur à un senestrochère armé d’argent mouvant du flanc tenant une lance d’argent. English: Per pale 1st or with a tree vert and a dog argent passant in front of the trunk 2nd azure with a left arm armoured argent coming from the flank holding a lance argent.
4) Estrémadure – Parti au 1 d’argent à trois fasces ondées d’azur au 2 de gueules à un senestrochère armé d’argent mouvant du flanc senestre tenant une tête de roi sarrasin de carnation couronnée d’or par les cheveux L’écu entouré d’une bordure componnée de seize pièces huit de gueules à la tour d’or sommée de trois tourelles du même (Castille) et huit d’argent au lion de gueules (Léon) en chef deux compons de Léon entre trois de Castille et ainsi de suite. English: Per pale 1st argent three bars undy azure 2nd gules with a left arm armoured argent coming from the flank sinister holding a head of a saracen king carnation crowned or by the hair the shield entirely within a bordure compony of sixteen pieces eight gules with the tower or surmounted by three turrets of the same ( Castille ) and eight argent a lion gules ( Leon) in chief two compons of Leon between three of Castille and so on.
5) Vargas-Macciucca – Naples – (Annuario della Nobilita). Originaire d’Espagne – Coupé au 1 d’argent au bras armé tenant une masse d’armes au naturel et mouvant du flanc senestre au 2 d’azur à trois fasces ondées d’argent. English: Per fess 1st argent of arm armoured holding a mace proper and coming from the flank sinister 2nd azure three bars undy argent.
6) Vargas-Machuca Y Santervaz – Séville – Parti au 1 de Vargas qui est d’argent à cinq fasces ondées d’azur au 2 de Santervaz qui est coupé au 1 échiqueté d’azur et d’argent à la bordure de gueules ch de huit flanchis d’or au 2 recoupé a d’argent à un chevalier à cheval contourné se battant contre des Mores acc en chef d’une fasce aussi d’argent ch de trois étoiles (8) d’or b fascé d’argent et d’azur de quatre pièces chaque fasce d’argent ch de deux étoiles (8) d’or et la dernière fasce d’azur ch d’un soleil d’or. English: Per pale 1st of Vargas which is argent with five bars undy azure 2nd of Santervaz which is per fess 1st checky azure and argent a bordure gules charged with eight saltorels or 2nd also per fess a) argent with a knight with horse reversed who is battling against some Moors accompanied by in chief a fess also argent charged with three etoiles of 8 points or b) barry argent and azure of four pieces each fess argent charged with two etoiles of 8 points or and the last fess azure charged with a sun or.