A Spanish surname, Velazquez comes from the Latin term ‘velasco’ and then the Basque term of ‘bala’ which refers to a crow. The spelling variations for Velazquez include Velasquez, Vasquez, Velasco, Velez, Blasquez and Blasco. In Spain the Velazquez family name comes from the northern central region. In the 18th and 19th centuries many Velazquez families resettled in Cuba, Mexico. Columbia, Peru and Honduras. Within the United States the early Velazquez families settled in Florida, Texas, New Mexico, California, New York, Illinois, Colorado and Missouri. Famous: Diego Velazquez (17th century artist to Spain’s King Philip IV), Freddie Velazquez (professional baseball player from the Dominican Republic), Diego Velazquez de Cuellar (16th century Spanish conquistador conquering Cuba), Tracy Velazquez (politician leader in Montana serving in the legislature), Nadine Velazquez (model and actress from Puerto Rico), Nydia Margarita Velazquez (politician leader in the state of New York), Lorena Velazquez (actress from Mexico) and Consuelo Velazquez (songwriter from Mexico).