Meneses History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
Spain

The surname Meneses is a habitational name from the province of Burgos, derived from the Old Spanish word "mena" and the Latin word "minae" meaning "battlement." The name was typically given to someone who lived on a high spot or mountain. Mena was also a Roman goddess. Today, the Valley of Mena (Spanish: Valle de Mena) is a municipality of the province of Burgos, Spain and has a population of 3,926.

Early Origins of the Meneses family

The surname Meneses was first found in Granada, in southern Spain.

Early History of the Meneses family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Meneses research. Another 88 words (6 lines of text) covering the years 1411, 1456, 1603, 1613, 1614, 1628, 1658, 1675 and 1688 are included under the topic Early Meneses History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Meneses Spelling Variations

Spelling variations of this family name include: Mena, Meno, Minae, Menchaca and others.

Early Notables of the Meneses family

Prominent among members of the family

António Luís de Meneses, 1st Marquis of Marialva and 3rd Count of Cantanhede (1603-1675), Portuguese general who fought in the Portuguese Restoration War
Francisco de Meneses, the 3rd Governor of Portuguese Ceylon (1613-1614)

Meneses Ranking

In the United States, the name Meneses is the 7,137^th most popular surname with an estimated 4,974 people with that name. 1

Meneses migration to the United States +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Meneses Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Bernardino De Meneses, who arrived in America in 1826 2
Juan De Meneses, who landed in America in 1828 2
Diego De Meneses, who landed in Florida in 1838 2
Francisco De Meneses, who arrived in Florida in 1838 2

Meneses 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. 3

Meneses Settlers in West Indies in the 19th Century

Ana De Meneses, who landed in Dominican Republic in 1834 2

Contemporary Notables of the name Meneses (post 1700) +

Alexandra Estella DeAnna "Alex" Meneses (b. 1965), American television and film actress and model
Herbert Meneses (1939-2021), Guatemalan actor, writer, teacher, and director of film, television, and theater productions
Juan Francisco Meneses Echanes (1785-1860), Chilean priest and politician
Christopher Meneses (b. 1990), Costa Rican professional defender
Guillermo Meneses (1911-1978), Venezuelan writer, playwright, and journalist, recipient of the Venezuelan National Prize for Literature (1967)
Vergel Meneses (b. 1969), retired Filipino professional basketball player
Claudio Andrés Meneses Cordero (b. 1988), Chilean footballer
Fernando Andrés Meneses Cornejo (b. 1985), Chilean footballer
Armando Zárate Meneses (1891-1956), Mexican doctor
Antônio Meneses Neto (b. 1957), Brazilian cellist

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)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_West_Indies