Chavez

CHAVEZ Spanish surname of toponymic origin, derived from place names in the Iberian Peninsula, particularly in regions influenced by Portuguese and Galician linguistic forms. The name appears in Iberian records prior to the colonial period and spread to the Americas through Spanish migration during the colonial era. As with many Iberian surnames, its presence alone does not indicate Jewish ancestry, but individuals bearing this name appear in historical contexts associated with converso and crypto-Jewish communities.