Explore the Family Name Menendez
The meaning of Menendez
Spanish (Menéndez): patronymic from the medieval personal name Men(d)endo, a hypercorrected form of the Visigothic personal name Hermenegild, composed of the elements ermen, irmen ‘whole, entire’ + gild ‘tribute’. This personal name was borne by a 6th-century member of the Visigothic royal house, who was converted from Arianism to the Catholic faith and became an enormously popular saint, as a result of which the personal name was very common in Spain in the Middle Ages. Some characteristic forenames: Spanish Jose, Manuel, Carlos, Luis, Juan, Ramon, Angel, Jorge, Fernando, Francisco, Rafael, Mario. Portuguese Marcio.
Dictionary of American Family Names, 2nd edition, © Oxford University Press, 2022.
How common is the last name Menendez in the United States?
According to the data compiled from the Decennial U.S. Census, the surname Menendez has grown in popularity from 2000 to 2010. In 2000, Menendez was ranked 3,612 in popularity, but by 2010 it had climbed up to rank 3,102. This represents a significant increase of 14.12%. Along with this surge in rank, the count of people bearing the surname also rose from 9,045 in 2000 to 11,609 in 2010, an impressive growth of 28.35%. The proportion of individuals named Menendez per 100k increased from 3.35 to 3.94 during the same time period, showing a rise of 17.61%.
| 2000 | 2010 | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #3,612 | #3,102 | 14.12% |
| Count | 9,045 | 11,609 | 28.35% |
| Proportion per 100k | 3.35 | 3.94 | 17.61% |
Race and Ethnicity of people with the last name Menendez
The ethnic identity associated with the surname Menendez also evolved between 2000 and 2010, as reported by the Decennial U.S. Census. The largest share of those with the surname identified as Hispanic, a group that expanded from making up 80.87% of all Menendez's in 2000 to 85.98% in 2010, marking a notable increase of 6.32%. The second-largest group, identifying as White, decreased by 28.34%, from 17.22% in 2000 to 12.34% in 2010. The number of people identifying as Asian/Pacific Islander slightly increased by 10.00%, whereas the representation of those identifying as Two or more races decreased by 51.28%, and the American Indian and Alaskan Native group saw a decline of 55.56%. The percentage of Black individuals remained stable at 1.13% across both years.
| 2000 | 2010 | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hispanic | 80.87% | 85.98% | 6.32% |
| White | 17.22% | 12.34% | -28.34% |
| Black | 1.13% | 1.13% | 0% |
| Asian/Pacific Islander | 0.3% | 0.33% | 10% |
| Two or More Races | 0.39% | 0.19% | -51.28% |
| American Indian and Alaskan Native | 0.09% | 0.04% | -55.56% |
Menendez ancestry composition
23andMe computes an ancestry breakdown for each customer. People may have ancestry from just one population or they may have ancestry from several populations. The most commonly-observed ancestry found in people with the surname Menendez is Spanish & Portuguese, which comprises 51.9% of all ancestry found in people with the surname. The next two most common ancestries are British & Irish (12.7%) and Indigenous American (12.6%). Additional ancestries include French & German, Italian, Eastern European, Scandinavian, and North African.
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| ANCESTRY BREAKDOWN | COMPOSITION |
|---|---|
| Spanish & Portuguese | 51.9% |
| British & Irish | 12.7% |
| Indigenous American | 12.6% |
| Other | 22.8% |
Possible origins of the surname Menendez
Your DNA provides clues about where your recent ancestors may have lived. Having many distant relatives in the same location suggests that you may all share common ancestry there. Locations with many distant relatives can also be places where people have migrated recently, such as large cities. If a large number of individuals who share your surname have distant relatives in a specific area, it could indicate a connection between your surname and that location, stemming from either recent ancestral ties or migration.
Based on 23andMe data, people with last name Menendez have recent ancestry locations spanning a few countries, mostly in Spain, and Cuba.
| RECENT ANCESTRY Location | Percentage |
|---|---|
| Galicia, Spain | 47.60% |
| Andalusia, Spain | 46.00% |
| Asturias, Spain | 42.90% |
| Castile And Leon, Spain | 42.50% |
| Canary Islands, Spain | 38.90% |
What Menendez haplogroups can tell you
Haplogroups are genetic population groups that share a common ancestor on either your paternal or maternal line. These paternal and maternal haplogroups shed light on your genetic ancestry and help tell the story of your family.
The top paternal haplogroup of people with the surname Menendez is R-P311, which is predominantly found among people with European ancestry. Haplogroup R-P311 is descended from haplogroup R-M343. Other common haplogroups include R-CTS241 and R-M167, which are predominantly found among people with European and European ancestry. Other surnames with similar common haplogroups are: Baez, Chamberlain, Alves, Lyle, Lopes, Maldonado, Pereira, Prieto, Oliveira, Winn.
The most common maternal haplogroups of people with Menendez surname are: A2, H1, H. These most commonly trace back to individuals of European ancestry.
Paternal Haplogroup Origins R-M343Your maternal lineage may be linked to some of the first Americans
Though the Ice Age was beginning to retreat when your A2 ancestors first entered North America, there were still massive barriers blocking their way. Glaciers and inhospitable climate covered much of the continent, blocking entry into the interior. Nonetheless, researchers have found evidence that a wave of American founders migrated over 13,000 kilometers to reach southern Chile in only 2,000 years, a blink of an eye in the story of human migration! Their highway to the south was the coast of the Pacific, stocked with fish, diverse marine mammals, and other valuable resources in the rich kelp forests of the upper latitudes and in the abundant fresh-water rivers near the equator. Because of this rapid movement south, the A2 haplogroup and its diverse branches are found throughout North and South America.
What do people with the surname Menendez have in common?
Spoiler alert: it's complicated. People with the same last name are usually no more genetically similar than a randomly sampled group of people from the same population. That said, people with the same surname are more likely to have similar ancestries than randomly sampled individuals. The reason is the tendency of people with similar cultural or geographical backgrounds to preferentially mate with one another. That's why people who share a surname may be more likely to share traits and tendencies in common than people within the general population. Check out the percentages below to see the prevalences of tastes, habits, and traits of people with your surname compared with prevalences among 23andMe users.
Preferences
Chocolate Ice Cream
Prefers chocolate flavored ice cream over other flavors.
"Menendez" Surname 36.2%
23andMe Users 41.3%
Traits
Misophonia
When sounds made by others, like the sound of chewing or yawning, provoke strong emotional reactions in an individual.
"Menendez" Surname 24.5%
23andMe Users 27.9%
Habits
Sugary Drink
Drinks one or more sugary drinks per day.
"Menendez" Surname 19.4%
23andMe Users 21.1%
Wellness
Migraine
A severe headache characterized by intense pain, sensitivity to light and sound, and often accompanied by nausea and vomiting.
"Menendez" Surname 15.0%
23andMe Users 16.4%
Are health conditions linked to the last name Menendez?
The short answer is that, if there is an association between surname and health, it's usually more about your ancestry than your name. Individuals with a given surname are no more genetically similar than the general population but often have similar ancestries. The populations of people associated with those shared ancestries often have sets of genetic variations, also known as alleles, in common. Some of those alleles are associated with a greater likelihood of developing certain diseases.
Disease variant frequency by ancestry
Disease allele frequencies in populations associated with the surname Menendez are shown below. Important Note: not everyone with a disease allele will develop these health condition