Mejía (surname)

For other uses, see Mejia (disambiguation).
Mejia
Family name
Meaning Possibly a religious byname, from a vernacular form of the Latin Messias[1][2]
Region of origin Spain
Related names Mejias, Megia/Megias, Maschia and Mashiach
The seal of the Mejía Canton in Northern Ecuador.

Mejía(s) or Mejia(s), also written as Mehia(s), Mexia(s), Megía(s) or Media(s), is a Spanish surname. Several theories exist as to its origins and etymology. The prevailing belief is that the name has Galician origins. The surname is most common in Latin American countries, including Colombia and Mexico, and Spain.

The surname may have originated as a toponym for the town of Muxia in Galicia, an autonomous community in north-western Spain.[3][4] Another idea is that the word "Mexia" used to mean "medicine" in an old variant of Spanish, and that this is where the surname came from.

One common belief is that the name may have Sephardic origins, from when the Spanish Kingdom forced Jewish settlers to change their surname to Castillian. The translation of the surname for "Messiah" would then become the name "Mesía".[5] However, the Spanish people who travelled to the Spanish colonies in South America were not allowed to be Jewish or to have any Jewish or Muslim ancestors, and thus this explanation may not account for the popularity of the surname in modern-day Latin America.

The surname is a popular last name in Colombia, especially its Paisa region. According to the book "Genealogies of Antioquia and Caldas" by Gabriel Arango Mejía, the first Spaniard to bring the name to Colombia was a man named Don Juan Mejía de Tobar Montoya.[6]

People

Mejía, Mejia

  • Alexander Mejía (born 1988), Colombian midfielder footballer
  • Alfonso Mejia-Arias (born 1961), Mexican musician, writer, social activist and politician of Roma origin (Gitano)
  • Alfredo Mejía (born 1990), Honduran footballer
  • Álvaro Mejía (athlete) (born 1940), Colombian long distance runner
  • Álvaro Mejía (cyclist), Álvaro Mejía Castrillón (born 1967), Colombian bicycle racer
  • Álvaro Mejía Pérez (born 1982), Spanish football defender
  • Arístides Mejía (born 1960), Honduran politician, Vice President Commissioner of Honduras
  • Arturo Salazar Mejía (1921–2009), Roman Catholic bishop of Pasto, Colombia
  • Brennan Alexander Mejia (born 1990), American actor, model, circus performer
  • Camilo Mejía (born 1975), U.S.-Nicaraguan war activist
  • Carlos Will Mejía (born 1983), Honduran football midfielder
  • Christian Mejía (born 1989), Puerto Rican football goalie
  • Cindy Mejía (born 1988), Peruvian model and beauty pageant titleholder
  • Clemente Mejía (1928–1978), Mexican olympic swimmer
  • Cristian Mejía (born 1990), Colombian football striker
  • Diego Mejía (born 1982), Salvadoran football forward
  • Dionisio Mejía (1907–1963), Mexican football forward
  • Edgar Mejía (born 1988), Mexican footballer
  • ((Eduardo Mejia MD Colombian.Born in Manizales(Caldas) 09/09/1932Came to this country in 1959 and worked in Miami until 2005.Founded several Institutions in Miami.HIJOS: Maria Angela. Luis Eduardo, Blanca Stella Pablo Roberto y Ricardo Mejia MD
  • Edward Mejía (born 1974), Nicaraguan attorney. Member of the Nicaraguan in Georgia Association
  • Félix Mejía (1776–1853), Spanish journalist, novelist, playwright and historian
  • Felix Restrepo Mejía (1887–1965), Jesuit priest, writer, pedagogue, classical scholar and humanist from Colombia
  • Fabrizio Mejía (born 1968), Mexican writer and journalist
  • Gerardo Mejía (born 1965), Ecuadorian-American Latin-style rapper (singer) and record company executive
  • Gilberto Echeverri Mejía (1936–2003), Colombian electrical engineer, politician and kidnap victim
  • Héctor Omar Mejía (born 1977), Salvadoran footballer
  • Hermann Mejia (born 1973), Venezuelan-born illustrator and painter
  • Hipólito Mejía (born 1941), President of the Dominican Republic
  • Jenrry Mejía (born 1989), Dominican baseball player
  • Joel Mejia (born 1990), Dominican olympic sprinter
  • Jorge María Mejía (1923–2014), Argentine Roman Catholic cardinal
  • Juan Camilo Mejía (born 1981), Colombian soccer player
  • Dr. Juan Eduardo Mejia, United States, Higher Education Provost, Vice President and Professor
  • Luis Mejía (born 1991), Panamanian footballer, plays goalie
  • Lionel Mejia (born 1938), Salvadorian, President of Chamber of Commerce
  • Liborio Mejía (1792–1816), Colombian independence war leader, politician
  • Marco Mejía (born 1975), Honduran football midfielder
  • Maria Concepcion Mejia (born 1981) daughter of Pedro Flores Mejia, Son of Antonio Mejia of Pangasinan Philippines
  • María Emma Mejía (born 1953), Colombian journalist and politician
  • María Isabel Mejía (born 1945), Colombian politician and economist
  • Mariano Díaz Mejía (born 1993), Dominican footballer
  • Matías Ramos Mejía (1810–1885), Argentine colonel
  • Miguel Aceves Mejía (born 1915), Mexican composer, actor, and singer
  • Natalie Mejia (born 1988), Mexican American musician
  • Óscar Mejía (born 1978), Dominican footballer
  • Óscar Humberto Mejía Victores (1930–2016), Guatemalan president
  • Pedro Mejía (born 1978), Dominican olympic sprinter
  • Pedro Mexía (1497–1551), Spanish writer, humanist and historian
  • Ricardo Mejía (born 1963), Mexican long-distance runner
  • Roberto Mejía (born 1972), Dominican Republic baseball player
  • Roger Mejía (born 1984), Nicaraguan footballer
  • Sammy Mejia (born 1983), Dominican American basketball player
  • Tenoch Huerta Mejía, Mexican film actor
  • Tomás Mejía (1820–1867), Mexican general, executed for treason
  • Virgilio Mejia, Héctor Virgilio Alcántara Mejía, Conte De Bani, Dominican Republic UN representative

Mejías, Mejias

Mexía, Mexia

References

  1. http://www.4crests.com/mejia-coat-of-arms.html
  2. http://www.ancestry.com/facts/Mejia-family-history.ashx
  3. https://www.geni.com/surnames/mejia
  4. http://www.houseofnames.com/xq/asp.fc/qx/mejia-family-crest.htm
  5. http://www.scribd.com/doc/6078304/Apellidos-Sefarditas
  6. Gabriel Arango Mejía (1973). Genealogícas de Antioquía y Caldas: 3. ed. Bedout.
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