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.^[1] Descendants of this family now live across Spain and Latin America.

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:^[2]

• 1. Heredia Province (1:40)
• 2. Alajuela Province (1:41)
• 3. San José Province (1:49)

• Alfred Vargas (born 1979), Filipino actor
• Elizabeth Vargas (born 1962), ABC News anchor
• Jacob Vargas (born 1971), Mexican-American actor
• Sibila Vargas (born 1968), CNN reporter
• Taliana Vargas (born 1987), Colombian. First Runner up in Miss Universe 2008.
• Tuesday Vargas (born 1980), Filipino actor and singer
• Valentina Vargas (born 1964), Chilean actress
• Vic Vargas (1939–2003), Filipino, film actor

• Victor Vargas (born 1952), lawyer and owner of the Banco Occidental de Descuento
• Marie Marguerite, Duchess of Anjou (born 1983), born María Margarita de Vargas y Santaella
• Milan-Angelo Varga, entrepreneur

• Alberto Vargas (1896–1982), Peruvian painter of pin-up girls and erotica
• Álvaro Vargas Llosa (born 1966), Peruvian writer, son of Mario Vargas Llosa
• Andrés de Vargas (c. 1610–1674), Spanish painter
• Chavela Vargas (1919–2012), Costa Rican singer
• Eugenia Vargas, Chilean artist
• Fred Vargas (born 1957), French writer
• Gabriel Vargas (disambiguation), list of people with the name
• Jose Antonio Vargas (born 1981), Filipino-American journalist
• José María Vargas (historian) (1902–1988), Ecuadorian friar and writer
• Luis de Vargas (1502–1568), Spanish painter of the late-Renaissance period
• Mario Vargas Llosa (1936–2025), Peruvian writer, politician and Nobel Prize laureate
• Mary Belle de Vargas (1902–1946), American artist
• Mónica Vargas Celis, Mexican film and television producer
• Pedro Vargas (1906–1989), Mexican singer
• Vania Vargas (born 1978), Guatemalan poet, narrator, editor, and journalist
• Wilfrido Vargas (born 1949), Dominican musician
• Antonio Vargas Cortés, Spanish male flamenco singer

• Alfred Vargas (born 1979), Filipino politician and congressman of 5th district, Quezon City
• Antonio Vargas (1958–2025), Ecuadorian politician and indigenous Quechua leader
• 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 (1603–1704), 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 (born 1962), Peruvian congressman
• José María Vargas (1786–1854), Venezuelan president
• Juan Vargas (born 1961), United States politician
• Julián García Vargas, Spanish politician
• Lammis Vargas, United States politician
• Miguel Vargas Maldonado (born 1950), Dominican politician
• Virgilio Barco Vargas (1921–1997), Colombian president

• Juan Vargas Aruquipa (born 1947), Bolivian Roman Catholic bishop

• Mario Vargas Vidal (born 1963), Chilean biologist
• Virginia Vargas (born 1945), Peruvian sociologist and women's movement leader

• Akeem Vargas (born 1990), German basketball player
• Annerys Vargas (born 1981), Dominican Republic volleyball player
• Antonio Vargas (born 1996), American professional boxer
• Claudio Vargas (born 1978), Vaqueros Laguna pitcher
• Claudio David Vargas Villalba (born 1985), Paraguayan footballer
• Debbie Green-Vargas (born 1958), women's volleyball setter
• Eduardo Vargas (born 1989), Chilean footballer
• Eleucadia Vargas (born 1970), Dominican Republic judoka
• Fabián Andrés Vargas (born 1980), Colombian footballer
• Fernando Vargas (born 1977), boxer
• Freddy Vargas (born 1982), Venezuelan road cyclist
• Gonzalo Vargas (born 1981), Uruguayan footballer
• Gregorio Vargas (born 1970), Mexican boxer
• Gregory Vargas (born 1986), Venezuelan basketball player
• Ildemaro Vargas (born 1991), Venezuelan baseball player
• Jason Vargas (born 1983), American baseball player
• Juan Manuel Vargas (born 1983), Peruvian footballer
• Jefferson Vargas (born 1984), Colombian road cyclist
• Jorge Francisco Vargas (born 1976), Chilean footballer
• Kennys Vargas (born 1990), Puerto Rican professional baseball player
• Melissa Vargas (born 1999), Cuban-born, Turkish volleyballer
• Miguel Vargas (baseball) (born 1999), Cuban baseball player
• Miguel Rodrigo Vargas (born 1978), Portuguese footballer
• Orestes Rodríguez Vargas (1943–2024), Peruvian and Spanish chess grandmaster
• Óscar Vargas (cyclist) (born 1964), Colombian road cyclist
• Nélson Vargas (born 1974), Colombian road cyclist
• Rodrigo Vargas (disambiguation)
• Ronald Vargas (born 1986), Venezuelan footballer
• Rubén Vargas (born 1998), Swiss footballer
• Ryan Vargas (born 2000), American racing driver
• Tetelo Vargas (1906–1971), Dominican Republic baseball player

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

• Vargas (disambiguation)