A Spanish surname Mendez means Son of Mendo or Son of Men. For the Portuguese the original form was Menendo.

Another spelling form is Mendes, which is Portuguese. Both a very common surname in Spain and Portugal.

In the 1880s most Mendez families were laborers.

The places of origin for the Mendez name are Spain, Mexico and Cuba.

Only in London are there some Mendez families. In the United States most Mendez families are in Texas, then Arizona and California.

Famous: Arnaldo Tamayo Mendez (cosmonaut in September 1980), Elvira Mendez (Queen of Léon), Henry P. Mendez (English and American rabbi), Lucia Mendez (Mexican actress and singer), Peter J. Mendez (Puerto Rican actor), Rebeca Mendez (American artist and designer), Tomas Mendez (Mexican composer and singer ), Donaldo Mendez (professional baseball player), Hector Mendez (Argentine boxer), Ronald Mendez (Venezuelan volleyball player) and Raimundo Teixeira Mendez (19th century Brazilian philosopher and mathematician).