Mendoza is a Basque surname, also occurring as a place name.
The name Mendoza means "cold mountain", derived from the Basque words mendi (mountain) and (h)otz (cold) + definite article -a (Mendoza being mendi+(h)otza). The original Basque form with an affricate sibilant (/ts/, Basque spelling ⟨tz⟩) evolved in Spanish to the current form.
Contents
History
Records of the Mendoza family can be traced back to the Middle Ages in Alava, in the Basque Country, Spain. It is believed that the family descends from the ancient Lords of Llodio (Alava), where the original patronymic house would have been. The Mendozas belonged to the local nobility, and branched out into different family lines early on.
The most distinguished branch of the family originated in what nowadays is known as the village of Mendoza, near Vitoria-Gasteiz, Basque Country; the village takes its name after the family. A certain scion of this family, Iñigo Lopez de Mendoza, distinguished himself in the Battle of Las Navas de Tolosa (1218), where he probably served under the Navarrese banner. He was responsible for building the ancestral home of the family, the Tower of Mendoza, which still stands. This branch of the family entered the service of the Kingdom of Castile during the reign of Alfonso XI (1312–1350), and took active part in the Reconquista, where they quickly acquired extensive land holdings in Castile and southern Spain through military and political service. The members of the House of Mendoza intermarried extensively with the Castilian nobility, and the family has many descendants nowadays, with numerous nobility titles attached to it. The line of the Dukes of the Infantado formed one of the main branches of the family.
Another branch of the family was based in Laudio, 50km northwest from Vitoria-Gasteiz. The family got involved in the medieval bloody War of the Clans. Finally, in Erandio, a baserri exists under the same name. Its original name "mendotza" developed to "mendontze" in the 1890s, "mendoche" in the 1920s, "mendotxe" in the 1980s to the restored original of "mendotza" being the current. The surname spread quickly through Castile during the Middle Ages. With the discovery of America, many of its members would emigrate to the Americas, where the surname is common.
Notable people with the surname
Business
Eugenio Mendoza, Venezuelan businessman
Lorenzo Mendoza, Venezuelan businessman
Tom Mendoza, Vice Chairman of NetApp, Inc. and namesake of Notre Dame's business school
Arts, entertainment and media
Amalia Mendoza, a Mexican singer
Brillante Mendoza, a Filipino film director
Dayana Mendoza, a Venezuelan actress, model who won Miss Universe 2008
Doris Rosetta Elizabeth Mendoza, an Australian pianist and theatre director
Eduardo Mendoza Garriga, a Spanish novelist
Hazel Ann Mendoza, a Filipina actress
Javier Mendoza (boxer), Mexican professional boxer
June Mendoza, portrait painter
Kerry-Anne Mendoza, editor of The Canary
Linda Mendoza, an American film and television director
Daus Mendoza, an American-Mexican influencer and YouTuber
Lydia Mendoza, a Tex-Mex singer and interpreter of "corridos"
Maine Mendoza, a Filipina actress
Marco Mendoza, bass player
Margot Rojas Mendoza (1903–1996), Cuban pianist and teacher
Mark Mendoza, bass player
Natalie Mendoza, a Hong Kong-born Australian actress and musician
Pauline Mendoza, a Filipina actress
Criminals
Moises Sandoval Mendoza (1984–2025), Mexican-American convicted murderer
Fiction
Aristotle "Ari" Mendoza, main character from the book Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe, written by Benjamin Alire Sáenz
Armando Mendoza Sáenz, coprotagonist of the Colombian Telenovela Yo soy Betty, la fea
Jason Mendoza, a Filipino main character in the show The Good Place
Maria Mendoza, an alternate Peruvian Wonder Woman created by Stan Lee
Mendoza, a recurring gag character in The Simpsons
Mendoza, fictional character of the "Company" books by Kage Baker
Rodrigo Mendoza, fictional character of the movie The Mission
Kai Mendoza, a character in the television show Almost Paradise
Fat Dog Mendoza, main character from the animated television series of the same name
Military
Íñigo López de Mendoza y Quiñones, Castilian general instrumental in the final stages of the Reconquista
Diego Hurtado de Mendoza, Castilian nobleman
César Mendoza, member of Government Junta of Chile (1973) as chief of Carabineros de Chile
Pedro de Mendoza, conquistador
Bernardino de Mendoza, Captain General
Markos Alexander Mendoza, U.S. Army First Sergeant
Politics and government
Diego Hurtado de Mendoza, 1st Duke of the Infantado, Spanish nobleman
Antonio de Mendoza, first Viceroy of New Spain
Bernardino de Mendoza, Spanish statesman and ambassador
Carlos Antonio Mendoza, acting President of Panama
César Mendoza, Chilean soldier
Cristóbal Mendoza, First President of Venezuela
Eduardo Mendoza Goiticoa, a Venezuelan cabinet minister and scientist
Estelito Mendoza, Filipino politician and solicitor general
Eugenio Mendoza, a Venezuelan cabinet minister and industrial
García Hurtado de Mendoza, a Spanish governor of Chile
Gloria Mendoza, American politician
Heidi Mendoza, a Filipino public servant and former Undersecretary General for the United Nations Office of Internal Oversight
Inés Mendoza, wife of Puerto Rico Governor Luis Muñoz Marín
Íñigo López de Mendoza, 1st Marquess of Santillana, Castilian statesman and poet
Juan González de Mendoza, Spanish minister and historian
Leandro Mendoza, Philippine Secretary of Transportation and Communications
Religion
Pedro González de Mendoza, Spanish cardinal and statesman
Royalty
Ana de Mendoza y de la Cerda, Spanish aristocrat
Beatriz Fajardo de Mendoza y de Guzmán, Baroness of Polop and Benidorm
Science
Josef de Mendoza y Ríos (1761–1816), Spanish astronomer and mathematician
Sport
Alberto Mendoza (born 2006), American football quarterback and younger brother of fellow quarterback Fernando
Alvin Mendoza, Mexican football (soccer) player
Ana Mendoza (footballer), Mexican football (soccer) player
Ana Mendoza (swimmer), Mexican breaststroke swimmer
Carlos Mendoza (baseball coach), Venezuelan baseball coach
Carlos Mendoza (outfielder), baseball player
Daniel Mendoza, English boxer
Elías Mendoza Habersperger, Peruvian lawyer, diplomat and politician, Chief Scout of Peru
Fernando Mendoza (born 2003), American football quarterback
Gabriel Mendoza, Chilean footballer
Gleiker Mendoza, Venezuelan footballer
Jessica Mendoza, American softball player
Jesús Mendoza, Mexican football player
Jonny Mendoza, Venezuelan boxer
Luis Mendoza Benedetto, Venezuelan footballer
Luis Mendoza, baseball player
Luis Angel Mendoza, Mexican football player
Mario Mendoza, baseball player
Other
Indyra Mendoza (born 1968), Honduran LGBTQ+ activist
Kayla Mendoza (born 1992), American serving 24 years in prison after being charged with vehicular homicide
