Chavez

Chavez is a surname of Spanish origin, commonly encountered in Spanish-speaking countries and among the Hispanic diaspora. In Spanish, the name is typically written as CháVez with an accent, while in English usage it is often rendered as Chavez without the accent. The surname is often described as toponymic, linked to places named Chaves in the Iberian Peninsula, and it has spread widely across Latin America and the United States through migration and settlement.

Notable individuals with the surname include Hugo Chávez Frías (1954–2013), a Venezuelan military officer who led a 1992 coup attempt and later served as president from 1999 to 2013; and César Chávez (1927–1993), an American labor leader and civil-rights advocate who co-founded the United Farm Workers.

Geography and culture feature Chavez Ravine, a historic district in Los Angeles named for members of the Chávez family and later associated with the Dodgers’ stadium site. The surname appears across various fields and contexts, including institutions, media, and fiction.

Variants of the name include Chaves, used in Portuguese and Spanish contexts. Diacritic usage reflects regional orthography, with the accent often dropped in English-language texts. For related topics, see also Chaves and Chávez Ravine.