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Mendez Family History

Mendez Name Meaning

Galician (Méndez): patronymic from the personal name Mendo (see Mendes of which this is the Galician equivalent). Jewish (Sephardic): adoption of the Iberian surname (see 1 above) at the moment of conversion to Roman Catholicism. After the return to Judaism (generations later) some descendants retained the name their families used as Catholics.

Source: Dictionary of American Family Names 2nd edition, 2022


Similar surnames: Mendes, Mendel, Mende, Menendez, Mindel, Mense, Mente, Menzel, Menden

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Hint: Try searching for a relative alive in 1940.

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Where is the Mendez family from?

You can see how Mendez families moved over time by selecting different census years. The Mendez family name was found in the USA, the UK, and Scotland between 1840 and 1920. The most Mendez families were found in USA in 1920. In 1840 there were 2 Mendez families living in Louisiana. This was 100% of all the recorded Mendez's in USA. Louisiana had the highest population of Mendez families in 1840.
Use census records and voter lists to see where families with the Mendez surname lived. Within census records, you can often find information like name of household members, ages, birthplaces, residences, and occupations.

What did your Mendez ancestors do for a living?

In 1940, Laborer and Maid were the top reported jobs for men and women in the USA named Mendez. 34% of Mendez men worked as a Laborer and 8% of Mendez women worked as a Maid. Some less common occupations for Americans named Mendez were Labrador and Housekeeper. .

View Census Data for Mendez | Data not to scale

*We display top occupations by gender to maintain their historical accuracy during times when men and women often performed different jobs.

Top Male Occupations In 1940

  • Laborer
    34%
  • Farmer
    6%
  • Jornalero
    3%
  • Labrador
    3%

Top Female Occupations In 1940

  • Maid
    8%
  • Laborer
    8%
  • Housewife
    7%
  • Housekeeper
    6%
Black & white image of two construction labourers

What Mendez family records will you find?

Census Records

There are 137,000 census records available for the last name Mendez. Like a window into their day-to-day life, Mendez census records can tell you where and how your ancestors worked, their level of education, veteran status, and more.

Search US census records for Mendez

Passenger Lists

There are 56,000 immigration records available for the last name Mendez. Passenger lists are your ticket to knowing when your ancestors arrived in the USA, and how they made the journey - from the ship name to ports of arrival and departure.

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Draft Cards

There are 9,000 military records available for the last name Mendez. For the veterans among your Mendez ancestors, military collections provide insights into where and when they served, and even physical descriptions.

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What is the average Mendez lifespan?

Between 1944 and 2004, in the United States, Mendez life expectancy was at its lowest point in 1954, and highest in 1998. The average life expectancy for Mendez in 1944 was 35, and 67 in 2004.

View Social Security Death Index (SSDI) for Mendez

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