Mendoza History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms
Noble surnames, such as Mendoza, evoke images of the ancient homeland of the Spanish people. The original bearer of the name Mendoza, which is a local surname, once lived, held land, or was born in the beautiful region of Spain. In Spain, hereditary surnames were adopted according to fairly general rules and during the late Middle Ages, names that were derived from localities became increasingly widespread. Local names originally denoted the proprietorship of the village or estate. Many Spanish local names reflect Arabic words or place-names because Spain was conquered by the Muslim Moors from the 8th to 12th centuries. The Mendoza family originally lived in the place named Mendoza, which is in the province of Alava. This place-name was originally derived from the Basque word mendi, which means mountain and otz, which meanscold.
Early Origins of the Mendoza family
The surname Mendoza was first found in Castile, an important Christian kingdom of medieval Spain.
Early History of the Mendoza family
This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Mendoza research. Another 86 words (6 lines of text) covering the years 1242, 1491, 1600 and 1659 are included under the topic Early Mendoza History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
Mendoza Spelling Variations
Spelling variations of this family name include: Mendoza, de Mendoza, Mendozo, Mendosa, de Mendosa, Mendoso and many more.
Early Notables of the Mendoza family
Notable bearers of the family name Mendoza
- were Rodrigo de Mendoza, created Marquis of Cenete by Ferdinand and Isabella in 1491
- 15th century poet Iñigo de Mendoza
- Ana Mendoza de la Cerda, daughter of Viceroy of Peru Diego Hurtado de Mendoza and Princess of Eboli
- Bernardino de Mendoza, 16th century Spanish naval officer
- Juan de Palafox y Mendoza (1600-1659), a Spanish archbishop in the Roman Catholic Church
- 17th century Viceroy of Mexico and of Peru Juan de Mendoza y Luna, Marquis of Montesclaros
- 17th century Spanish military officer Francisco de Mendoza
- 19th century Venezuelan politician Cristóbal Mendoza
- 19th century Spanish poet and novelist María Mendoza de Vives
Mendoza World Ranking
In the United States, the name Mendoza is the 246th most popular surname with an estimated 106,941 people with that name. 1 However, in France, the name Mendoza is ranked the 5,545th most popular surname with an estimated 1,000 - 1,500 people with that name. 2 And in South America, the name Mendoza is the 93rd popular surname with an estimated 51 people with that name. 3
Mendoza migration to the United States +
Some of the first settlers of this family name were:
Mendoza Settlers in United States in the 16th Century
- Cristóbal de Mendoza, who sailed to America in 1511
- Diego de Mendoza, who arrived in America in 1511 with his brother, son and a servant
- Francisco de Mendoza, moved to Cartagena in 1534
- Marcos de Mendoza, settled in Peru in 1534
- Sancho de Mendoza, who landed in Hispaniola in 1534
- ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)
Mendoza Settlers in United States in the 19th Century
- Alonso De Mendoza, who landed in America in 1810 4
- Cristobal De Mendoza, who arrived in America in 1811 4
- Francisco De Mendoza, who landed in America in 1813 4
- Francisco De Mendoza, who arrived in America in 1814 4
- Sebastian De Mendoza, who arrived in America in 1814 4
- ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)
Mendoza migration to Australia +
Emigration to
Australia followed the
First Fleets of convicts, tradespeople and early settlers. Early immigrants include:
Mendoza Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century
- Mr. Aaron Mendoza, (b. 1817), aged 23, English brass worker who was convicted in London, England for 7 years for larceny, transported aboard the "Duncan" on 10th December 1840, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land), he died in 1883 5
Contemporary Notables of the name Mendoza (post 1700) +
- Lisa Mendoza, American news producer
- Lydia Mendoza, American singer and songwriter
- Sylvia D Mendoza, American television advertising executive
- Antonio de Mendoza (1495-1552), Spanish colonial administrator who was the first Viceroy of New Spain, serving from 14 November 1535 to 25 November 1550, and the third Viceroy of Peru, from 23 September 1551, upon the conquest of central Mexico he was appointed Viceroy of Mexico.
- Eduardo Mendoza (b. 1943), Spanish novelist from Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain
- Antonio Escobar Mendoza (1589-1669), Spanish Jesuit casuist
- Cristina Mendoza, Spanish art historian
- Luis Alfredo Mendoza Benedetto (1945-2024), Venezuelan footballer
- Rossy Mendoza (1945-2023), stage name of María del Rosario Mendoza Chávez, a Mexican vedette, actress, dancer, and singer
- Enrique Mendoza (1945-2023), Venezuelan politician, Mayor of Sucre Municipality, Miranda, Governor of Miranda state from 1995 to 2004
- ... (Another 10 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)
Suggested Readings for the name Mendoza +
- Shamrocks and Fleurs-de lis; a Louisiana Genealogy of the O'Brien, Mendoza, Verret, de la Chaise, Chauvin and Allied Families by Leland Dudley O'Brien.
Citations +
- "What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
- http://www.journaldesfemmes.com/nom-de-famille/nom/
- "List of most common surnames in South America." Wikipedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_most_common_surnames_in_South_America
- 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)
- Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 11th August 2021). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/duncan