Vargas (surname)

Vargas is a Spanish surname of Castilian origin. The founder of the house was Iván de Martin who fought as a knight in the reconquest of Madrid, in 1083, in the service of Alfonso VI of León and Castile.

The surname is also a Sephardic Jewish surname with the family Vargas emanating from the once existing Jewish community of Cantabria, Spain. Descendants of this family now live across Spain and Latin America.

Geographical distribution
As of 2014, 22.2% of all known bearers of the surname Vargas were residents of Mexico. Listing of frequency:
 * Mexico 22.2% (frequency 1:260)
 * Colombia 15.6% (1:142)
 * Peru, 7.5% (1:196)
 * United States, 6.7% (1:2,502)
 * Bolivia, 6.4% (1:77)
 * Venezuela, 6.2% (1:225)
 * Chile, 4.5% (1:183)
 * Costa Rica, 4.3% (1:51)
 * Brazil, 4.2% (1:2,249)
 * Argentina, 3.9% (1:511)
 * Philippines, 3.2% (1:1,457)
 * Dominican Republic, 2.7% (1:182)
 * Spain, 2.5% (1:863)
 * Ecuador, 2.5% (1:295)
 * Guatemala, 1.5% (1:498)
 * Nicaragua, 1.2% (1:237).

In Spain, the frequency of the surname was higher than national average (1:863) in the following autonomous communities:
 * 1. Andalusia (1:419)
 * 2. Extremadura (1:445)
 * 3. Balearic Islands (1:781)
 * 4. Canary Islands (1:812)
 * 5. Community of Madrid (1:850)

In Costa Rica, the frequency of the surname was higher than national average (1:51) in the following provinces:
 * 1. Heredia Province (1:40)
 * 2. Alajuela Province (1:41)
 * 3. San José Province (1:49)

Acting

 * Alfred Vargas, Filipino actor
 * Elizabeth Vargas, ABC News anchor
 * Jacob Vargas, Mexican-American actor
 * Sibila Vargas, CNN reporter
 * Taliana Vargas, Colombian. First Runner up in Miss Universe 2008.
 * Valentina Vargas, Chilean actress
 * Vic Vargas, Filipino, film actor

Finance

 * Victor Vargas, lawyer and owner of the Banco Occidental de Descuento
 * Marie Marguerite, Duchess of Anjou, born María Margarita de Vargas y Santaella

Music and arts

 * Alberto Vargas, Peruvian painter of pin-up girls and erotica
 * Álvaro Vargas Llosa, Peruvian writer, son of Mario Vargas Llosa
 * Andrés de Vargas, Spanish painter
 * Chavela Vargas, Costa Rican singer
 * Eugenia Vargas, Chilean artist
 * Fred Vargas, French writer
 * Gabriel Vargas (disambiguation), list of people with the name
 * Jose Antonio Vargas, Filipino-American journalist
 * José María Vargas (historian), Ecuadorian friar and writer
 * Luis de Vargas (1502–1568), Spanish painter of the late-Renaissance period
 * Mario Vargas Llosa, Peruvian writer, politician and Nobel Prize laureate
 * Mary Belle de Vargas, American artist
 * Mónica Vargas Celis, Mexican film and television producer
 * Pedro Vargas, Mexican singer
 * Vania Vargas (born 1978), Guatemalan poet, narrator, editor, and journalist
 * Wilfrido Vargas, Dominican musician
 * Antonio Vargas Cortés, Spanish male flamenco singer

Politics

 * Alfred Vargas, Filipino politician and congressman of 5th district, Quezon City
 * Antonio Vargas, Ecuadorian politician
 * Cortés Vargas (1883–1954), Colombian general
 * Danny Vargas Serrano (born 1979), member of the Legislative Assembly of Costa Rica
 * Diego Vargas Castillo (born 2000), Chilean politician
 * Diego de Vargas, Spanish viceroy of New Spain
 * Dior Vargas American Latina feminist mental health activist
 * Francisco de Vargas, Paraguayan lawyer and minister
 * Getúlio Vargas (1882–1954), Brazilian president
 * Gloria Maira Vargas (born 1958), Chilean economist and politician
 * José Augusto Vargas, Peruvian congressman
 * José María Vargas, Venezuelan president
 * Juan Vargas, United States politician
 * Julián García Vargas, Spanish politician
 * Miguel Vargas Maldonado, Dominican politician
 * Virgilio Barco Vargas, Colombian president

Sciences

 * Virginia Vargas (born 1945), Peruvian sociologist and women's movement leader

Sports

 * Akeem Vargas, German basketball player
 * Annerys Vargas, Dominican Republic volleyball player
 * Claudio Vargas, Vaqueros Laguna pitcher
 * Claudio David Vargas Villalba, Paraguayan footballer
 * Debbie Green-Vargas, women's volleyball setter
 * Eduardo Vargas, Chilean footballer
 * Eleucadia Vargas, Dominican Republic judoka
 * Fabián Andrés Vargas, Colombian footballer
 * Fernando Vargas, boxer
 * Freddy Vargas, Venezuelan road cyclist
 * Gonzalo Vargas, Uruguayan footballer
 * Gregorio Vargas, Mexican boxer
 * Gregory Vargas (born 1986), Venezuelan basketball player
 * Ildemaro Vargas (born 1991), Venezuelan baseball player
 * Jason Vargas, American baseball player
 * Juan Manuel Vargas, Peruvian footballer
 * Jefferson Vargas, Colombian road cyclist
 * Jorge Francisco Vargas, Chilean footballer
 * Kennys Vargas, Puerto Rican professional baseball player
 * Melissa Vargas, Cuban-born, Turkish volleyballer
 * Miguel Vargas (baseball), Cuban baseball player
 * Miguel Rodrigo Vargas, Portuguese footballer
 * Orestes Rodríguez Vargas, Peruvian and Spanish chess grandmaster
 * Óscar Vargas (cyclist), Colombian road cyclist
 * Nélson Vargas, Colombian road cyclist
 * Rodrigo Vargas (disambiguation)
 * Ronald Vargas, Venezuelan footballer
 * Ryan Vargas, American racing driver
 * Tetelo Vargas, Dominican Republic baseball player

Crime

 * Dorángel Vargas (born 1957), Venezuelan serial killer and cannibal
 * Leonidas Vargas (1949–2009), Colombian drug lord
 * Nabor Vargas García (born 1976), Mexican drug lord