Melendez History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms
The distinguished surname Melendez comes from Spain, a country rich in culture and history. The earliest forms of hereditary surnames in Spain were the patronymic surnames, which are derived from the father's given name, and metronymic surnames, which are derived from the mother's given name. Spanish patronymic names emerged as early as the mid-9th century and the most common patronymic suffix is ez. The patronyms were derived from a variety of given names that were of many different origins. Some names are derived from the saints of the Christian Church, but many Spanish surnames are derived from personal names of Germanic origin. The Visigoths, who ruled Spain between the mid-5th and early 8th centuries had a profound impact on the development of surnames.
Early Origins of the Melendez family
The surname Melendez was first found in Asturias, birthplace of the Reconquest.
The first record of the family was Gutier Menéndez (c. 865 - 934), the most powerful Galician magnate of his time in the Kingdom of León. He was related to the royal family through marriages and acted as a powerbroker in the civil wars that followed the disputed succession of 925. His brother-in-law was Ordoño II, king of Galicia from 910 and then of León from 914 until his death in 924. In his will, Gutier says that during his career he obtained wealth through "royal grants, booty in war and other means" in addition to the wealth that he had inherited. His brother was Count Arias Menendez and one of the count's daughter Elvira Arias, married her cousin Muio (fl. 911-955.)
Early History of the Melendez family
This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Melendez research. Another 158 words (11 lines of text) covering the years 1519, 1565, 1574, 1579, 1620, 1622, 1623, 1634, 1659, 1675, 1692, 1839, 1841, 1842, 1844, 1845 and 1847 are included under the topic Early Melendez History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
Melendez Spelling Variations
Spelling variations of this family name include: Ménendez, Menendez, Méndez, Mendez, Meléndez, Melendez, Ménez, Menez and many more.
Early Notables of the Melendez family
Prominent among members of the family 14th century nobleman Ruy Méndez de Sevilla; 16th century Spanish soldier and writer Luis Méndez Quijada; Afonso Mendes (1579-1659), a Jesuit theologian, and Patriarch of Ethiopia from 1622 to 1634; 17th century Spanish politician Luis Méndez de...
Another 42 words (3 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Melendez Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
Melendez Ranking
In the United States, the name Melendez is the 824th most popular surname with an estimated 37,305 people with that name. 1
Melendez migration to the United States +
Some of the first settlers of this family name were:
Melendez Settlers in United States in the 19th Century
- Salvador Melendez, who landed in Puerto Rico in 1809 2
- Pedro Melendez, who arrived in America in 1812 2
- Francisco Melendez, who arrived in America in 1812 2
- Diego Melendez, who arrived in New Orleans, La in 1829 2
- Gregorio Melendez, who arrived in Peru in 1834 2
- ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)
Melendez Settlers in United States in the 20th Century
- Armando Melendez, aged 5, who landed in America from Napoli, in 1907
- Arminita G. Melendez, aged 19, who immigrated to the United States from Colon, Panama, in 1908
- Antonio Melendez, aged 6, who landed in America, in 1908
- Antonio Melendez, aged 11, who settled in America from Santiago, Cuba, in 1908
- Carlos Melendez, aged 23, who immigrated to the United States, in 1917
- ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)
Contemporary Notables of the name Melendez (post 1700) +
- Elizabeth Melendez (b. 1985), American actress and former model
- Luis Antonio Meléndez (b. 1949), former Major League Baseball outfielder
- Lisette Melendez (b. 1967), American freestyle /Latin pop /dance-pop singer
- John Edward Melendez (b. 1965), American television writer
- Gilbert Melendez (b. 1982), American mixed martial artist
- José Cuauhtémoc "Bill" Meléndez (1916-2008), Mexican-American character animator and film director
- Loida Meléndez, American Democratic Party politician, Alternate Delegate to Democratic National Convention from Puerto Rico, 2008 3
- Carmen Melendez, American Democratic Party politician, Alternate Delegate to Democratic National Convention from New York, 1996 3
- Brian Melendez, American Democratic Party politician, Minnesota Democratic-Farmer-Labor State Chair, 2008; Delegate to Democratic National Convention from Minnesota, 2008 3
- Arlan D. Melendez, American Democratic Party politician, Delegate to Democratic National Convention from Nevada, 2008 3
- ... (Another 11 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)
Citations +
- "What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
- Filby, P. William, Meyer, Mary K., Passenger and immigration lists index : a guide to published arrival records of about 500,000 passengers who came to the United States and Canada in the seventeenth, eighteenth, and nineteenth centuries. 1982-1985 Cumulated Supplements in Four Volumes Detroit, Mich. : Gale Research Co., 1985, Print (ISBN 0-8103-1795-8)
- The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2016, January 14) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html