Mena (also: es, de Mena, eu, Menaca) is a Spanish surname that originates as both a

Basque Basque may refer to: * Basques, an ethnic group of Spain and France * Basque language, their language Places * Basque Country (greater region), the homeland of the Basque people with parts in both Spain and France * Basque Country (autonomous co ...

and Spanish

Sephardic Sephardic (or Sephardi) Jews (, ; lad, Djudíos Sefardíes), also ''Sepharadim'' , Modern Hebrew: ''Sfaradim'', Tiberian Hebrew, Tiberian: Səp̄āraddîm, also , ''Ye'hude Sepharad'', lit. "The Jews of Spain", es, Judíos sefardíes (or ), ...

surname. It is also a given name,

Mena MENA, an acronym in the English language, refers to a grouping of countries situated in and around the Middle East and North Africa. It is also known as WANA, SWANA, or NAWA, which alternatively refers to the Middle East as Western Asia (or a ...

. The

Meena Meena () is a sub-group of Bhils. They speak Meena language. They started adopting the Brahmin worship system. Its name is also transliterated as ''Meenanda'' or ''Mina''. Historians claim that they belong to the Matsya tribe. They got the sta ...

tribe of India is also spelled as Mena.

Basque meaning

Found in the valley of Mena ( Alava, which today is

Burgos Burgos () is a city in Spain located in the autonomous community of Castile and León. It is the capital and most populated municipality of the province of Burgos. Burgos is situated in the north of the Iberian Peninsula, on the confluence of t ...

), with branches in

Bilbao ) , motto = , image_map = , mapsize = 275 px , map_caption = Interactive map outlining Bilbao , pushpin_map = Spain Basque Country#Spain#Europe , pushpin_map_caption ...

and in Dima (

Biscay Biscay (; eu, Bizkaia ; es, Vizcaya ) is a province of Spain and a historical territory of the Basque Country, heir of the ancient Lordship of Biscay, lying on the south shore of the eponymous bay. The capital and largest city is Bilbao. B ...

) and it appears to have also moved from there into

Navarre Navarre (; es, Navarra ; eu, Nafarroa ), officially the Chartered Community of Navarre ( es, Comunidad Foral de Navarra, links=no ; eu, Nafarroako Foru Komunitatea, links=no ), is a foral autonomous community and province in northern Spain, ...

; regions now part of

Spain , image_flag = Bandera de España.svg , image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg , national_motto = ''Plus ultra'' (Latin)(English: "Further Beyond") , national_anthem = (English: "Royal March") , i ...

. It appears to mean mineral or a vein of mineral deposits, however at least one author, Lopez Mendizabal, holds that its meaning is pastoral. A variant of the surname is ''Menaca'', with the '-ka' suffix representing "place of", as in "place of Mena", equivalent to the Spanish "de Mena".

Notable people with the name

Carlos Mena Carlos Mena (born 1971) is a Spanish countertenor opera singer. He has previously worked with groups such as Al Ayre Español, Ensemble Gilles Binchois, and Ricercar Consort and has an interest in the twentieth-century repertoire. Life and car ...

, Spanish countertenor *

Eugenio Mena Eugenio Esteban Mena Reveco (; born 18 July 1988) is a Chilean professional Association football, footballer who plays as a left-back for Argentine Primera División side Racing Club de Avellaneda, Racing Club and the Chile national football team, ...

, Chilean footballer * Gabriel Mena, Spanish poet, composer, musician and singer *

Gilberto García Mena Gilberto García Mena (born 1954), also known as El June, is a Mexican convicted drug lord and former high-ranking member of the Gulf Cartel, a criminal group based in Tamaulipas, Mexico. He began his criminal career as a small-time marijuana ...

, Mexican drug lord *

Javiera Mena Javiera Alejandra Mena Carrasco (born June 3, 1983) is a Chilean indie electropop musician living in Lavapiés, Madrid. She started her musical career in the Chilean indie music scene in 2001, and achieved wider success after the release of h ...

, Chilean pop singer *

Juan de Mena Juan de Mena (1411–1456) was one of the most significant Spanish poets of the fifteenth century. He was highly regarded at the court of Juan II de Castilla, who appointed him ''veinticuatro'' (one of twenty-four aldermen) of Córdoba, ''sec ...

, Spanish Renaissance poet *

Juanjo Mena Juanjo Mena (also known as Juan José Mena; born 21 September 1965, Vitoria-Gasteiz, Basque Country, Spain) is a Spanish conductor. Biography Mena began his music studies at the Vitoria-Gasteiz Conservatory. He later attended the Madrid Ro ...

, Spanish conductor *

Luis Mena (disambiguation) Luis Mena may refer to: * Luis de Mena, 18th-century Mexican painter * Luis Mena (Nicaraguan politician) (Luis Mena Vado, c. 1865–1928), Nicaraguan politician * Luís Mena e Silva (1902–1963), Portuguese sport equestrian rider * Luis Rojas Mena ...

, multiple people **

Luis Mena Luis Mena may refer to: * Luis de Mena, 18th-century Mexican painter * Luis Mena (Nicaraguan politician) (Luis Mena Vado, c. 1865–1928), Nicaraguan politician * Luís Mena e Silva (1902–1963), Portuguese sport equestrian rider * Luis Rojas Mena ...

, former President of Nicaragua **

Luis Mena Irarrázabal Luis Arturo Mena Irarrázabal (born 28 August 1979) is a retired Chilean professional footballer. He is the only player in Chilean football history to win more than 10 domestic league titles. He also holds more than 300 appearances for Colo-Colo ...

, Chilean footballer *

Maria Mena Maria Viktoria Mena (born 19 February 1986) is a Norwegian pop singer, best known for her singles such as " You're the Only One", "Just Hold Me", "All This Time" which charted in multiple countries. Early life Maria Mena was born into an art ...

, Norwegian pop singer *

Odlanier Mena Odlanier Rafael Mena Salinas (2 April 1926 – 28 September 2013) was a Chilean general during the Military government of Chile (1973–90), military dictatorship of Chile. He was director of the Central Nacional de Informaciones (CNI), a Chilean ...

, Chilean general * Omar Mena, Cuban sprinter *

Pedro de Mena Pedro de Mena y Medrano (August 1628 - 13 October 1688) was a Spanish sculptor. Biography Pedro de Mena was born in Granada, Andalusia. He was a pupil of his father Alonso de Mena as well as of Alonzo Cano. His first success was achieved in work ...

, Spanish sculptor in the 17th century *

Sharlett Mena Sharlett Mena is an American politician who is a member of the Washington House of Representatives for the 29th district. Elected in November 2022, she assumed office on January 9, 2023. Early life and education The daughter of immigrant farmwo ...

, American politician; member of the

Washington House of Representatives The Washington House of Representatives is the lower house of the Washington State Legislature, and along with the Washington State Senate makes up the legislature of the U.S. state of Washington. It is composed of 98 Representatives from 49 ...

since 2023

References

{{Surname Jewish surnames Basque-language surnames Sephardic surnames Feminine given names Unisex given names

Basque meaning

Notable people with the name

See also

References