# 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.
* Tuesday Vargas, Filipino actor and singer
* 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

## Religion

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

## 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
* Rubén Vargas, Swiss 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