Diaz

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 compared to the most popular Spanish surname of those years.

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).

The surname is cognate with the Portuguese language surname Dias.

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".

As of 2014, 21.5% of all known bearers of the surname Díaz were residents of Mexico (frequency 1:132), 11.4% of Colombia (1:96), 9.1% of Argentina (1:108), 8.0% of Spain (1:134), 7.2% of Venezuela (1:96), 6.7% of the United States (1:1,242), 5.2% of Peru (1:142), 5.0% of Cuba (1:53), 4.6% of Chile (1:87), 3.1% of the Philippines (1:742), 2.9% of the Dominican Republic (1:83), 2.5% of Puerto Rico (1:33), 2.4% of Guatemala (1:155), 2.0% of Honduras (1:100), 1.4% of El Salvador (1:107), 1.3% of Nicaragua (1:103), 1.2% of Ecuador (1:293) and 1.0% of Paraguay (1:161).

In Spain, the frequency of the surname was higher than national average (1:134) in the following autonomous communities:

• 1. Canary Islands (1:53)
• 2. Asturias (1:54)
• 3. Extremadura (1:85)
• 4. Cantabria (1:89)
• 5. Castilla-La Mancha (1:97)
• 6. Galicia (1:112)
• 7. Andalusia (1:114)
• 8. Community of Madrid (1:121)

In Puerto Rico, the frequency of the surname was higher than national average (1:33) in the following municipalities:

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.).

Arts and entertainment

• Alirio Díaz (1923–2016), Venezuelan guitarist
• Andres Rafael Diaz Rosa (born 1976), Spanish/Norwegian rapper "Diaz"
• Alyssa Diaz (born 1985), American-Colombian 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
• Francine Diaz (born 2004), Filipina actress.
• Gloria Diaz (born 1951) Filipina actress, TV host and beauty queen, first Filipina to win Miss Universe
• Joey Diaz (born 1963), Cuban-American stand up comedian, actor, podcast host
• Joko Diaz, Filipino actor and action star.
• 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
• Junot Díaz (1986), American writer
• 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 [es] (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
• Sixto Diaz Rodriguez (born 1942), Mexican-American singer-songwriter
• Ulpiano Díaz (1900–1990), Cuban percussionist
• Zadi Diaz, American podcaster and video blogger

Politics and military

• Adam Perez Diaz (1909-2010), the first Hispanic elected to the Phoenix City Council and also the first Hispanic to serve as Phoenix's Vice-Mayor
• Armando Diaz (1861–1928), Italian General and a Marshal of Italy during World War I
• Héctor A. Díaz, American politician
• 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
• Ramón Díaz (1926-2017), Uruguayan lawyer, economist and journalist, Chairman of the Central Bank
• Rodrigo Díaz de Vivar (c. 1043 – 1099), better known as El Cid, or Rodrigo, Castilian nobleman and military leader in medieval Spain
• Domingo Díaz Arosemena (1875-1949) Panamanian politician and president from 1948-1949

Sports

• Aledmys Díaz (born 1990), Cuban professional baseball player
• Ana Díaz (born 1954), Cuban volleyball player
• Antonio Díaz Jurado (1969–2013), Spanish footballer
• Brahim Díaz (born 1999), Spanish footballer
• Hidilyn Diaz (born 1991), Filipino weightlifter
• Hugo Díaz, multiple people
• Juan Díaz Sánchez (1948–2013), Spanish footballer known as Juanito
• Matt Diaz(born 1978), American professional baseball player and sportscaster
• 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
• Yandy Díaz (born 1991), Cuban professional baseball player
• Yennsy Díaz (born 1996), Dominican Republic professional baseball player

Others

• Bartolomeu Dias (c. 1451–1500), 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
• Federico Díaz Legórburu
• Matthew Diaz, American military lawyer
• Miguel H. Díaz, American diplomat
• Virgilio Morales Díaz, was one of the last National Chief Scouts of Cuban Scouting