Medina Surname Origin and Meaning

The surname Medina, which ranks 30th among most common Hispanic last names, has several possible origins:

1. Dweller at or near the market; one who had returned from the market
2. A locational or geographical name originating from the city of Medina in western Saudi Arabia, the second most holy city of Islam, or from one of the other places called Medina.

According to the Instituto Genealógico e Histórico Latino-Americano, the Medina surname originated principally in the Spanish areas of Burgos and Andalusia. Today, the Medina surname is most frequently found in use in Argentina and Spain according to the World Names Public Profiler.

Because most last names originate in multiple areas, the best way to learn more about your Medina last name is to research your own specific family history. If you are new to genealogy, try the steps to begin tracing your family tree. If you're interested in learning more about the Medina Family Crest, then learn more about how the family coat of arms aren't what you think.
Surname Origin: Spanish, Portuguese
Alternate Surname Spellings: MEDENA, DE MEDINA, DE MEDENA

Famous People With the Medina Last Name

• Gabriel Medina - Brazilian professional surfer
• Benny Medina - Music producer and record executive
• Ann Medina - American-born, Canadian television journalist
• José Medina (José Alfredo Medina Andrade) - Olympic track and road cyclist from Chile
• Henrique Medina de Barros - Portuguese painter

Genealogy Resources for the Medina Last Name

50 Common Hispanic Surnames & Their Meanings
Garcia, Martinez, Rodriguez, Lopez, Hernandez... Are you one of the millions of people sporting one of these top 50 common Hispanic last names? The Medina last name ranks 30th on this list.

How to Research Your Hispanic Family Tree
Learn how to start your Hispanic research at home, and then branch out to research in country-specific records, organizations, and other resources for Spain, Latin America, Mexico, Brazil, the Caribbean, and other Spanish speaking countries.

The Medina DNA Project
This Y-DNA testing project is open to all families with the Medina last name and variations, from all locations. The purpose of the project is to help members use a combination of yDNA testing, paper trails, and additional research to identify common Medina ancestors.

Medina Family Genealogy Forum
Search this popular genealogy forum for the Medina last name to find others who might be researching your ancestors, or post your own Medina query.

FamilySearch - Medina Genealogy
Search and access records, queries, and lineage-linked online family trees posted for the Medina surname and its variations. FamilySearch features almost 2 million results for the Medina last name.

Medina Surname & Family Mailing Lists
RootsWeb hosts several free mailing lists for researchers of the Medina surname.

DistantCousin.com — Medina Genealogy & Family History
Explore free databases and genealogy links for the last name Medina.

References

Cottle, Basil. Penguin Dictionary of Surnames. Baltimore, MD: Penguin Books, 1967.

Hanks, Patrick and Flavia Hodges. A Dictionary of Surnames. Oxford University Press, 1989.

Hanks, Patrick. Dictionary of American Family Names. Oxford University Press, 2003.

Smith, Elsdon C. American Surnames. Genealogical Publishing Company, 1997.