Mendez History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
Spain

The distinguished surname Mendez 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 Mendez family

The surname Mendez 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 Mendez family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Mendez 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 Mendez History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Mendez Spelling Variations

Spelling variations of this family name include: Ménendez, Menendez, Méndez, Mendez, Meléndez, Melendez, Ménez, Menez and many more.

Early Notables of the Mendez 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 Mendez Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Mendez World Ranking

In the United States, the name Mendez is the 303^rd most popular surname with an estimated 89,532 people with that name. 1 However, in France, the name Mendez is ranked the 2,217^th most popular surname with an estimated 2,879 people with that name. 2 And in South America, the name Mendez is the 32^nd popular surname with an estimated 105 people with that name. 3

Mendez migration to the United States +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Mendez Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Hernan Mendez, who arrived in America in 1811 4
Francisco Mendez Mendez, who arrived in New Orleans, La in 1813 4
Alonso Mendez, who landed in America in 1813 4
Melchor Mendez, who arrived in America in 1814 4
Juan Mendez, who landed in America in 1816 4
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Mendez migration to West Indies +

The British first settled the British West Indies around 1604. They made many attempts but failed in some to establish settlements on the Islands including Saint Lucia and Grenada. By 1627 they had managed to establish settlements on St. Kitts (St. Christopher) and Barbados, but by 1641 the Spanish had moved in and destroyed some of these including those at Providence Island. The British continued to expand the settlements including setting the First Federation in the British West Indies by 1674; some of the islands include Barbados, Bermuda, Cayman Island, Turks and Caicos, Jamaica and Belize then known as British Honduras. By the 1960's many of the islands became independent after the West Indies Federation which existed from 1958 to 1962 failed due to internal political conflicts. After this a number of Eastern Caribbean islands formed a free association. 5

Mendez Settlers in West Indies in the 18th Century

David Mendez, who arrived in Jamaica in 1742 4

Mendez Settlers in West Indies in the 19th Century

Bernardino Mendez, who arrived in Cuba in 1836 4

Contemporary Notables of the name Mendez (post 1700) +

John Juan Mendez (d. 2024), who recorded as Silent Servant, was an American techno DJ and music producer
Major General Enrique Mendez Jr. (b. 1931), United States Army officer who was also the first Puerto Rican to hold the positions of Army Deputy Surgeon General, Commander of the Walter Reed Army Medical Center and Assistant Secretary of Defense for Health Affairs
Colonel Louis Gonzaga Mendez Jr. (1915-2001), United States Army officer of the 82nd Airborne Division during WWII, recipient of Distinguished Service Cross for leading an attack that captured the French town of Prétot-Vicquemare 6
Arnaldo Tamayo Mendez (b. 1942), Cuban pilot, who was the first North American cosmonaut, and the first person of African descent in space, when he went up on the Soyuz 38 in 1980
Miguel A. Garcia Mendez, American Republican politician, Unification Candidate for Resident Commissioner to U.S. Congress from Puerto Rico, 1940; Puerto Rico Republican Party chair, 1958 7
Constantino Méndez (1950-2023), Spanish politician, Secretary of State for Defence from 2008 to 2011
José Méndez (1937-2021), Spanish rower who competed in the men's coxed four event at the 1960 Summer Olympics
J M Rodríguez Méndez, Spanish playwright
Major General Enrique Méndez Grau Jr. (1931-2024), United States Army officer, the first Puerto Rican to hold the positions of Army Deputy Surgeon General, Commander of the Walter Reed Army Medical Center and Assistant Secretary of Defense for Health Affairs
Rómulo Méndez Molina (1938-2022), Guatemalan football referee, the first Guatemalan referee ever to participate in World Cup finals, refereeing one match in the 1982 World Cup and one match in the 1986 edition
... (Another 7 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/
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)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_West_Indies
Louis Mendez. (Retrieved 2010, September 27) Louis Mendez. Retrieved from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Louis_Gonzaga_Mendez%2C_Jr.
The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, November 23) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html