Surname Vargas - Meaning and Origin

Decoding the Vargas Lineage: An Intriguing Dive into My iGENEA DNA Test Results

When I embarked on the journey to understand my lineage through the iGENEA DNA test, I was stepping into the unknown territory. Little did I know how enlightening this journey would be. Ancestral paths became clearer, lost histories came to light, and my understanding of my surname, Vargas, was profoundly enriched.

R. Vargas

Vargas: What does the surname Vargas mean?

Vargas is a Spanish surname that is most prevalent in Latin America, particularly in countries like Chile, Brazil, Argentina, and Mexico. The surname Vargas is of topographic origin, deriving from a place where a person resides or used to live. It originates from the word “varge”, meaning “hut” or "slope" in old Norse language, which eventually transformed into "varga" in Spanish, referring to land that is uncultivated or infertile. Therefore, the surname likely first referred to someone who lived near this type of terrain – a slope or uncultivated land. Today, many people with the surname Vargas can be found all over the world due to widespread Spanish influence and migration.

Vargas: Where does the name Vargas come from?

The last name Vargas is commonly found in Central and South America, particularly in countries like Mexico, Guatemala, Ecuador, Peru, Chile and Panama. It is also a popular surname in some parts of the Caribbean Islands, including the Dominican Republic.

In countries such as the United States of America, the surname Vargas is most commonly found amongst Hispanic-American and Mexican-American populations. According to the 2019 US Census, the top three states with the highest percentage of individuals of the last name Vargas are California, Texas and Florida. In California, people of the last name Vargas make up 0.223% of the population, while in Texas it makes up 0.123% and 0.1% in Florida.

The last name Vargas is derived from the Latin root "Vargas", which translates to mean “thicket” or “thicketed forest”. According to the Surname Dictionary, the last name Vargas is believed to be mainly of Spanish origin, however, there are also small amounts of Portuguese variations of the surname.

In today's world, the last name Vargas is widely dispersed. While many individuals of the last name live in Central and South America, significant and influential populations of Vargases can also be found in the United States, Spain, and other countries around the world.

Variations of the surname Vargas

The surname Vargas has many variants, spellings, and surnames which come from the same origin. Some of these variants include Barghas, Barghos, Barghus, Varge, Vargeas, Vargees, Varias, Varghas, Varghos, Varghus, Vargas, and Varges. In some cases, the surname is prefixed with 'E' or 'Mac' (or 'Mc'), such as EBarghos, MacVarge, MacVargeas, McVargeas, and McVarges.

Variants of the surname Vargas in other languages also include Bauer, Bower, Bowers, Borghoff, Borgo, Borges, Borghes, Boulanger, Bourgeois, Calve, Galvez, Gomez, Koppehel, Kopf, Vergas, Vergara, Vuorinen, Voergas, Vouerin, Vuor tall, Wagner, Wauergas, Waukefras, Waukegas, Wolf, and Wolfa.

The origin of the surname Vargas is Spanish or Basque, derived from the Basque "bargas" meaning field, referring to someone who worked in a field. The surname is most commonly found in places which were formerly a part of the Spanish Empire. The surnames are most common in Latin America and the Caribbean, and also in the Philippines, where the Spanish influence was especially strong.

In Spain, the surname is sometimes spelled 'Várgua' or 'Vargués'. Similarly, its variants 'Varga' and 'Vargue' are also used in some areas of Spain, as well as in Portugal and the French Basque regions.

The surname Vargas is also occasionally seen as a Jewish surname; its original Jewish form was 'Bargos'. The same surname can be found in areas of China and Japan, where it was adopted by Sephardic Jewish individuals and families who fled Europe at various points in history.

Famous people with the name Vargas

• Luis Miguel Vargas: a Venezuelan composer, guitarist, and singer-songwriter
• Maite Vargas: a Mexican actress and former fashion model
• Edgar Vargas: a professional ice hockey center
• João Vargas: a former Brazilian association footballer
• Claudia Vargas:a Venezuelan-Mexican radio host and model
• Marcos Vargas: a former Chilean football player
• Dicky Vargas: a Mexican-American broadcaster, columnist and music historian
• Jeferson Vargas: a Paraguayan football player
• Luis G. Vargas: a Mexican actor and singer
• Alex Vargas: a Danish singer-songwriter and producer
• Guillermo Vargas: a Costa Rican football player
• Maximiliano Vargas: an Argentine footballer
• Mauricio Vargas: a Colombian snooker player
• John Jairo Vargas: a Colombian footballer
• Sheyla Vargas: a Filipina actress and singer
• Tomás Otárola Vargas: a Peruvian footballer
• Esteban Vázquez Vargas: a Spanish footballer
• Domingo Vargas: an Argentine former referee
• Nicolás Vargas: an Argentine professional footballer
• Elio Vargas: a Dominican-American entrepreneur

Other surnames

Varga