Mendoza History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

• Origins Available:
• Italy
• Spain

Etymology of Mendoza

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

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 246^th most popular surname with an estimated 106,941 people with that name. 1 However, in France, the name Mendoza is ranked the 5,545^th most popular surname with an estimated 1,000 - 1,500 people with that name. 2 And in South America, the name Mendoza is the 93^rd popular surname with an estimated 51 people with that name. 3