Díaz (surname)

For other uses, see Diaz (disambiguation)

Díaz is a common Spanish surname with multiple meanings in multiple languages. First found in Castile, where the name originated in the Visigoth period, the name accounts for about 0.17% of the Spanish population, ranking as the 14th-most frequently found surname in both 1999 and 2004^[1] compared to the most popular Spanish surname of those years.

Variants and related names

There is minor evidence that Díez may be equivalent to Díaz, in the form of Spanish language listing of most frequent surnames in 1999 Spain (OcioTotal 1999). However, a 2008 in-press academic manuscript about Spanish naming in 2004 suggests otherwise, listing statistics for "Díaz" and "Díez" separately (Mateos & Tucker 2008).

In relation to descent from the Biblical names James and Jacob, it has been surmised that Díaz is a derivation of Diego from Iago (Smith 1986), Sant Iagus. A second source suggests Díaz as being derived from a Gothic form of the paternal genitive of Dia, as in "Dia's child", or Diag, Diago or Diego (Dixon 1857). Dias translates into Son of Jacob

The surname is cognate with the Portuguese language surname Dias.

Usage

Díaz and the anglicized form Diaz appear to be surnames only, without evidence for use as given names. Use of Diaz may arise through Anglicization of Portuguese language Dias, as in the case of Bartolomeu Dias.

Many examples of the surnames Díaz exist among historically notable people as a patronymic of Diego. Among the earliest such examples is El Cid, whose real name was Rodrigo Díaz de Vivar, and whose father's given name was Diego (Catholic Encyclopedia 1913).

There is at least one instance of use as a single name, the former Norwegian rap artist Diaz, who was born to a Spanish father and Norwegian mother; his birth name was "Andrés Rafael Díaz".

Frequency

In Latin America Díaz was among the top 25% of surnames in use based on a study conducted in 1987 by the Institute for Genealogy and History for Latin America (De Platt 1996, pages 31–32).

Spanish surnames, including Díaz, are found more abundantly in Southern Italy than other non-Italian surnames as a result of the domination of Italy by Spain during the 17th century (Fucilla 1949).

The following matrix contains available information on the frequency of this surname in various countries across a span of years.

Reference codes, see #References: (a)=OcioTotal 1999, (b)=Mateos & Tucker 2008, (c)=Longley, et al., (d)=United States Census Bureau 1995, (e)=United States Census Bureau 2000

Several assessed countries have shown no instances of this surname, among these being Northern Ireland, Republic of Ireland and Scotland (Bowie 2003; Longley, et al.).

Persons

Arts and entertainment

• Alirio Díaz (1923–2016), Venezuelan guitarist
• Andres Rafael Diaz Rosa (born 1976), Spanish/Norwegian rapper "Diaz"
• Alyssa Diaz (born 1985), American actress
• Cameron Diaz (born 1972), American actress, producer, and former fashion model
• Dilia Díaz Cisneros (born 1925), Venezuelan teacher and poet
• Diomedes Díaz (1957–2013), Colombian singer, singer, songwriter and composer
• Gloria Diaz (born 1951) Filipino actress, TV host and beauty queen, first Filipino to win Miss Universe
• Jonny Diaz (born 1984), American contemporary Christian musician
• Johnny Diaz, American novelist and a journalist
• José Manuel Díaz (1936–2013), Venezuelan actor and comedian in television and film known by the mononym Joselo
• Lav Diaz or Lavrente Indico Diaz (born 1958), Filipino independent filmmaker
• Leandro Díaz (composer) (1928–2013), Colombian composer
• Paquito Diaz (1937–2011), Filipino actor and director
• Rafael Díaz Ycaza (1925–2013), Ecuadorian poet and writer
• Ramón Díaz Sánchez (1903–1968), Venezuelan writer
• Rocsi Diaz (born 1983), Honduran-born, American television personality and model
• Romy Diaz (1941–2005), Filipino actor
• Roxana Díaz (born 1972), Venezuelan television actress
• Simón Díaz (1928–2014), Venezuelan singer and composer
• Ulpiano Díaz (1900–1990), Cuban percussionist

Politics and military

• Armando Diaz (1861–1928), Italian General and a Marshal of Italy during World War I
• José E. Díaz (1833–1867), Paraguayan general, hero of the Paraguayan War
• Porfirio Díaz (1830–1915), Mexican soldier, politician, dictator who served seven terms as President of Mexico, President of Mexico following the French intervention in Mexico
• Rodrigo Díaz de Vivar (c. 1043 – 1099), better known as El Cid, or Rodrigo,Castilian nobleman and military leader in medieval Spain

Sports

• Antonio Díaz Jurado (1969–2013), Spanish footballer
• Hidilyn Diaz (born 1991), Filipino weightlifter
• Juan Díaz Sánchez (1948–2013), Spanish footballer known as Juanito
• Nate Diaz (born 1985), American mixed martial arts (MMA) fighter
• Nick Diaz (born 1983), American mixed martial arts (MMA) fighter
• Patricia Díaz Perea (born 1984), Spanish professional triathlete
• Raquel Diaz (born 1990), ring name of American professional wrestler Shaul Guerrero. Also singer, model

Others

• Bartolomeu Dias (c. 1451–1500), anglicized form Bartholomew Diaz, the first European known to have sailed around the Southern tip of Africa
• Bernal Díaz del Castillo (1492 to 1496, precise birth date is uncertain – 1584), Spanish conquistador who provided an eye witness narrative for the destruction of the Aztec Empire by Spanish conquistadors
• Matthew Diaz, American military lawyer responsible for the release of the identities of detainees at the Guantanamo Bay detention camp to the Center for Constitutional Rights
• Johnny Diaz, American novelist and a journalist
• Junot Díaz (born 1968), Dominican-American writer, Pulitzer Prize for Fiction

See also

• Spanish naming customs

References

External links

• A history of the Díaz surname compiled by the Institute for Genealogy and History for Latin America is available for a fee. See pages 38 and 39 of https://books.google.com/books?id=xxcSboo5KTAC for more information.