Méndez: meaning of the surname and family history

As is often the case with Spanish surnames ending in -ez , Méndez is a patronomics. It means son or descendant of Mendel or Mendo. These two names derived from the medieval name Menendo, which in turn comes from Hermenegildo, which means complete sacrifice.

According to the Latin American Genealogical and Historical Institute, the beginnings of the Méndez surname go back to the town of Celanova in Spain; In addition, it is the 39th most common Hispanic surname. Other common spellings of this surname vary in the use of the final letter (it can be z or s ) in addition to the presence of the tilde. Some examples are: Mendes , Méndes , and the variants Menéndez and Menendes .

Famous people with the last name Mendez

• Fernando Lugo Méndez : President of Paraguay from 2008 until 2012, when he was removed after a trial against him for poor performance in his duties.
• Arnaldo Tamayo Méndez – Cuban fighter pilot and cosmonaut who was the first American of non-US origin to go into space; he was also the first Latin American cosmonaut and the first Spanish-speaking person to leave our orbit.
• Eva Mendes : This American actress and model carries her last name thanks to the Cuban blood that runs through her veins. She has acted in movies like Hitch: Seduction Specialist , Ghost Rider and the Fast and Furious saga .
• Lucía Méndez: Mexican actress and protagonist of telenovelas such as Paloma , Colorina and Tú o nadie .
• Tony Mendez – Former United States Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) officer, famous for his involvement in operations during the Iran hostage crisis. His Mexican father gives him the last name Mendez, without accents. In 2012, one of his missions became the basis for the movie Argo , in which Ben Affleck played the role of Mendez.

Geographic frequency of the surname Mendez

The surname Méndez is very common in Latin American countries such as Mexico, Guatemala, Venezuela, the Dominican Republic and Nicaragua. In Spain, its place of origin, it also enjoys a certain frequency with the spelling Mendes; It occupies number 50 on the list in places like Asturias, the Canary Islands and Galicia. This same variant is also found in countries like France and Switzerland.

Surname Origins Web Resources

Those interested in learning more about the origin of surnames have several options online. They stand out among them::

• FamilySearch.org – This nonprofit organization gives you information about your genealogy. You can search for specific ancestors and enter different spellings of the surname to find out how often it appears in different countries.
• Forebears.io/es/ : This page has several family history search directories indexed, as well as a dictionary of the meaning of surnames. These two powerful tools can provide a lot of information about the surname you are looking for in any of its variants. The portam also offers a list of frequency of use by country, known spellings, and various observations of interest.
• GeneaNet – This website includes records, family trees, and other resources where you can research the origin and meaning of the Mendez surname. This page emphasizes family records from France and other European countries.

References

The country. (2016). The most common surnames in Latin America. Available at: https://elpais.com/internacional/2016/08/18/actualidad/1471533988_249052.html

Familysearch (S/F). Surname Search. Available at https://www.familysearch.org/es/surname

Genealogy and Heraldry (2021) Repertoire of surnames. Available at: http://www.bne.es/es/Micrositios/Guias/Genealogia/busqueda_apellidos/repertorios_apellidos/