Valdés is a Spanish

toponymic surname A toponymic surname or topographic surname is a surname derived from a place name.

of Asturian origin. Its appearance has been dated back to the times of the

Reconquista The ' (Spanish, Portuguese and Galician for "reconquest") is a historiographical construction describing the 781-year period in the history of the Iberian Peninsula between the Umayyad conquest of Hispania in 711 and the fall of the Nasrid ...

in the municipality of

Valdés, Asturias Valdés is a Spanish Municipalities of Spain, municipality in the province of Asturias. Its capital is Luarca. It borders the Bay of Biscay on the north, the municipalities of Navia (Spain), Navia and Villayón on the west, Tineo on the south, Sa ...

, where the eponymous lineage began. The area around the current town of Luarca was known as Val de Ese, "valley of the river Ese", as attested in medieval documents. This river would later be known as the Esva River. According to Luis de Valdés' ''Memorias'' (1622), the river itself took its name from the letter s (''ese'' in Spanish) due to its similar shape, although this is considered unlikely. During medieval times the surname was taken by many families living in the area around Luarca, which make is difficult to establish demarcations between families of the time. By the 14th century, the surname had spread throughout the

Kingdom of Castile The Kingdom of Castile (; es, Reino de Castilla, la, Regnum Castellae) was a large and powerful state on the Iberian Peninsula during the Middle Ages. Its name comes from the host of castles constructed in the region. It began in the 9th centu ...

, and later all of the

Iberian peninsula The Iberian Peninsula (), ** * Aragonese and Occitan: ''Peninsula Iberica'' ** ** * french: Péninsule Ibérique * mwl, Península Eibérica * eu, Iberiar penintsula also known as Iberia, is a peninsula in southwestern Europe, defi ...

. During the colonization of the Americas, the surname became established there, where many variations appeared, such as Valdez (by analogy with the Spanish patronymic ''-ez''). The French surname Valdès or Vaudès, from Peter Valdes, founder of the Waldensian religious movement, is unrelated to the Spanish surname. Instead, it derived from the Latin ''Valdesius'', which referred to

Vaulx-en-Velin Vaulx-en-Velin () is a commune in the Metropolis of Lyon in Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region in eastern France. It is the third-largest suburb of the city of Lyon, and is located to its northeast, on the river Rhône. History The rivers, including th ...

Lyon Lyon,, ; Occitan: ''Lion'', hist. ''Lionés'' also spelled in English as Lyons, is the third-largest city and second-largest metropolitan area of France. It is located at the confluence of the rivers Rhône and Saône, to the northwest of t ...

, his place of origin.

People with the surname Valdés

* Aaron Valdes (born 1993), American basketball player *

Al Valdes Al Valdes (born c. 1935) is a retired Canadian football player who played for the Calgary Stampeders The Calgary Stampeders are a professional Canadian football team based in Calgary, Alberta. The Stampeders compete in the West Division of the ...

(born 1935), Canadian football player * Amadito Valdés (born 1946), Cuban timbalero * Antonio Valdés y Fernández Bazán (1744–1816), Spanish naval officer *

Basilio J. Valdes Basilio José Segundo "Basil" Pica Valdés (10 July 1892 – 26 January 1970) was a Filipino doctor, general and minister. Valdes was chief of staff of the Armed Forces of the Commonwealth of the Philippines from 1939, and was in 1941 appointed ...

(1892–1970), Filipino general officer * Bebo Valdés (1918–2013), Cuban pianist * Carlos "Patato" Valdés (1926–2007), Cuban conga player * Cayetano Valdés y Flores (1767–1834), Spanish naval officer and explorer * Chucho Valdés (born 1941), Cuban pianist *

Fernando de Valdés y Llanos Fernando de Valdés y Llanos (28 July 1575 – 1639) was the Archbishop of Granada from 1633 to 1639. Biography Fernando de Valdés y Llanos was born in Cangas de Tineo on July 28, 1575. He was a member of the family of the Count of Toren ...

(1575–1639), Archbishop of Granada *

Fernando de Valdés y Salas Fernando de Valdés y Salas, (Salas, Asturias, 1483 – Madrid, 1568) was a Spanish churchman and jurist, professor of canon law at the University of Salamanca, and later its chancellor. Biography He was member of the Supreme Council of ...

(1483–1568), Spanish churchman and jurist * Francisco Fellove Valdés (1923–2013), Cuban songwriter and singer *

Gabriel Valdés Gabriel Valdés Subercaseaux (July 3, 1919 – September 7, 2011) was a Chilean politician, lawyer and diplomat. Valdes served as the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Chile under President Eduardo Frei Montalva from 1964 to 1970. A vocal opponent ...

(1919–2011), Chilean politician * Germán Valdés (1915–1973), Mexican actor, singer and comedian * Gonzalo Fernández de Oviedo y Valdés (1478–1557), Spanish historian *

Hernán Valdés Hernán Valdés (1934 – February 15, 2023) was a Chilean writer, best known for his book ', the first published account of the repression carried out by the military dictatorship led by General Augusto Pinochet. Biography As a writer, Valdés ...

(born 1934), Chilean writer * Israel López Valdés (1918–2008), Cuban bassist and composer *

Jerónimo Valdés Jerónimo Valdés (1784–1855) was a Spanish military figure and administrator. Born in Villarín, in Asturias, he participated in the battle of Ayacucho (1824), which was a defeat for the Spanish. He served as Viceroy of Navarre from 183 ...

(1785–1855), Spanish general and governor of Cuba * José Manuel Valdés (1767–1843), Peruvian physician and writer *

Juan Gabriel Valdés Juan Gabriel Valdés Soublette (Santiago, June 2, 1947) is a Chilean political scientist, diplomat and former minister during the Eduardo Frei Ruiz-Tagle presidency. Between 1973 and 1976 he studied political science at Princeton University in the ...

(born 1947), Chilean political scientist * Juan de Valdés (1500–1541), Spanish religious writer *

Juan de Valdés Leal Juan de Valdés Leal (4 May 1622 – 15 October 1690) was a Spanish painter and etcher of the Baroque era. Career Valdés was born in Seville in 1622. He became a painter, sculptor, and architect. By his twenties, he was studying under Antoni ...

(1622–1690), Spanish painter * Juan Meléndez Valdés (1754–1817), Spanish poet *

José Ramón Guizado Valdés José is a predominantly Spanish and Portuguese form of the given name Joseph. While spelled alike, this name is pronounced differently in each language: Spanish ; Portuguese (or ). In French, the name ''José'', pronounced , is an old vernacul ...

(1899–1964), President of Panama 1955 * Lisandra Teresa Ordaz Valdés (born 1988), Cuban chess grandmaster * Lisván Valdés (born 1988), Cuban basketball player * Luchi Cruz-Valdes (born 1965), Filipina broadcast journalist *

Merceditas Valdés Mercedes Valdés Granit (September 24, 1922 – June 13, 1996), better known as Merceditas Valdés, was a Cuban singer who specialized in Afro-Cuban traditional music. Under the aegis of ethnomusicologists Fernando Ortiz and Obdulio Morales, Vald ...

(1922–1996), Cuban singer * Miguel Alemán Valdés (1902–1983), President of Mexico 1946–1952 * Orestes López Valdés (1908–1991), Cuban musician and composer * (1544–1615), Governor of Cuba 1600–1607 *

Pedro Valdés Pedro José Valdés Manzo (born June 29, 1973) is a Puerto Rican former professional baseball outfielder. He played parts of three seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Chicago Cubs and Texas Rangers, four seasons in Nippon Professiona ...

(born 1973), Mexican baseball player *

Ramón Maximiliano Valdés Ramón Maximiliano Valdés Arce (13 October 1867 in Penonomé, Coclé – 3 June 1918 in Panama City) was President of Panama from October 1, 1916 to June 3, 1918. He belonged to the Liberal Party. He died in office and was succeeded by the ...

, President of Panama 1916–1918 * Ramón Valdés (1923–1988), Mexican actor * Roy Valdés (1920–2005), Cuban baseball player *

Víctor Valdés Víctor Valdés Arribas (; born 14 January 1982) is a Spanish football coach and former professional player, who played as a goalkeeper. Valdés was considered fiercely competitive and demanding, demonstrating great mental strength and concent ...

(born 1982), Spanish football goalkeeper * Viengsay Valdés (born 1976), Cuban ballerina *

Zoé Valdés Zoé Valdés (born May 2, 1959 in Havana, Cuba) is a Cuban novelist, poet, scriptwriter, film director and blogger. She studied at the ''Instituto Superior Pedagógico Enrique José Varona'', but did not graduate. From 1984 to 1988, she worke ...

(born 1959), Cuban writer ;Fictional characters *

Cecilia Valdés ''Cecilia Valdés'' is both a novel by the Cuban writer Cirilo Villaverde (1812–1894), and a zarzuela based on the novel. It is a work of importance for its quality, and its revelation of the interaction of classes and races in Havana, Cuba ...

, Cuban novel and zarzuela character *

Elpidio Valdés Elpidio Valdés is a cartoon character and comic, who starred in a number of features, shorts and strips of the same name. He was created in 1970 by cartoonist and Cuban filmmaker Juan Padrón, considered the father of Cuban film animation and ...

, Cuban comic character

People with the surname Valdez

Alyssa Valdez Alyssa Caymo Valdez (; born June 29, 1993) is a Filipino volleyball player who currently plays for the Creamline Cool Smashers. She was a member of the collegiate varsity women's volleyball team of Ateneo de Manila University in both indoor and ...

(born 1993), Filipina volleyball player *

Basil Valdez Basil Salvador Valdez (; born 8 November 1951) is a Filipino singer. He has received several Tinig Awards and the 1991 Tanglaw ng Lahi Award from Ateneo de Manila University. Biography Like many Filipino singers in the 1970s, Basil S. Valdez st ...

, (born 1951), Filipino balladeer *

César Valdez César Miguel Valdez (born March 17, 1985) is a Dominican professional baseball pitcher in the Los Angeles Angels organization. He made his Major League Baseball debut in 2010 with the Arizona Diamondbacks. He has also previously played in MLB ...

(born 1985), Dominican baseball player *

Chayito Valdez María del Rosario Valdez Campos (28 May 1945 – 20 June 2016), known professionally as Chayito Valdez, was a Mexican singer and actressLent. "Pictures: Film Reviews - Tierra De Valientes." ''Variety (Archive: 1905-2000)''329, no. 6 (Dec 02, 1987 ...

(1945–2016), Mexican musician and entertainer *

Cynthia Valdez Cynthia Yazmín Valdez Pérez (born December 11, 1987) is an individual Mexican rhythmic gymnast born in Guadalajara who has won 10 Pan American Games medals—two gold, four silver and four bronze medals. Career She won a bronze medal in t ...

(born 1987), Mexican rhythmic gymnast *

Erik Valdez Erik Valdez (born Russell Erik Valdez; August 26, 1979) is an American actor. He is best known for his roles as Trey Mitchell in the soap opera television series ''General Hospital'' (2012–2013), Carlito Solano, Jr. in the drama television serie ...

(born 1979), American actor * Fidel Valdez Ramos (1928–2022), President of the Philippines 1992–1998 *

Framber Valdez Framber Valdez (born November 19, 1993) is a Dominican professional baseball pitcher for the Houston Astros of Major League Baseball (MLB). Valdez signed with the Astros as an international free agent in 2015, and made his MLB debut in 2018. In 2 ...

(born 1993), Dominican baseball pitcher *

José Travassos Valdez José is a predominantly Spanish and Portuguese form of the given name Joseph. While spelled alike, this name is pronounced differently in each language: Spanish ; Portuguese (or ). In French, the name ''José'', pronounced , is an old vernacul ...

(1787–1862), Portuguese soldier and statesman * Juan Valdez, colonial governor of Texas 1714–1716 * Julio Valdez (born 1956), Dominican professional baseball player and manager * Kate Valdez (born 2000), Filipina actress * Nelson Haedo Valdez (born 1983), Paraguayan footballer *

Patssi Valdez Patssi Valdez (born 1951) is an American Chicana artist. She is a founding member of the art collective, Asco. Valdez's work represents some of the finest Chicana avant-garde expressionism which includes but not limited to painting, sculpture an ...

(born 1951), American Chicana artist and founding member of the Asco art collective * Phillips Valdéz (born 1991), Dominican baseball player *

Rodrigo Valdez Rodrigo is a Spanish, Portuguese and Italian name derived from the Germanic name ''Roderick'' ( Gothic ''*Hroþareiks'', via Latinized ''Rodericus'' or ''Rudericus''), given specifically in reference to either King Roderic (d. 712), the last Vi ...

(1946–2017), Colombian boxer * Wendy Valdez (born 1982), Filipina beauty queen, former reality star, and actress * Wilmar Valdez (born 1965), Uruguayan football executive ;Fictional characters * Juan Valdez, a character appearing in advertisements for Colombian coffee * Leo Valdez, a character appearing in novels by Rick Riordan

References

{{surname, Valdés Surnames of Spanish origin