Gomez Family Crest, Coat of Arms and Name History

Gomez is a surname of Spanish origin, whereas the spelling variant Gomes is of Portugese and Old Galician origin.  It has an accent mark (o-acute) but is often spelled in the English speaking world without it. It derives from the Visigothic word guma, meaning man, which is related to the Old English word guma, Middle English gomo, Old High German gomo, and Middle High German gome, all which have the roots in the Latin word homo, referring to man. It was originally used as a personal or first name in the Medieval times prior to becoming a surname, and may have been a pet form of the personal name Gomesano. The suffix ez means son of, so the name literally translates to “son of man”.

There are numerous spelling variants of this last name, including, but not limited to Gomiz, Gomeza, Gumiz, Gumez, Gumaz, Gamez, Gamiz, and Gomiziz. The name was ranked 70^th in popularity in the United States according to the 2000 census. It is also ranked 10^th in the nation of Spain and 11^th in Mexico.

One source claims the name was first found in Castile. The earliest known spelling of the surname was one Maria Gomez la Pareja who married Lorenzo Suarez de Figneroa in 1521. Other early bearers include Juan Gomes Solis (baptized in 1535) and Maria Gomez (baptized in 1558). Early settlers to the New World bearing this surname include Gonzalo Gomez (Guatemala 1560), Pedro Gomez (Mexico 1561), Catalina Gomez (Nicaragua 1561), and Beatriz Gomez (Peru 1563). Some of the earliest settlers in America bearing this surname include Isaac Gomez (1679), as well as Mordecia, Daniel, and David Gomez who arrived in New York in 1740.

A one Joseph Gomez was born in 1650 in Molviza, Granada, Spain. He married Francisca de Raia and had one son named Joseph. This Joseph was born at an unknown date and he married Francisca de Salas. They had three issue together before has died in 1745: Diego, Angela, Antonio, and Juan Francisco. Antonio was born in 1700 and he married Laurencia Munos or Munoz in 1726. Together they had a child named Francisca Roman Gomez born in 1731. She married Juan Joseph Valdes Baldes and they had a son named Baltazar Antonio Valdes.

Notable people in history bearing this surname include: 1) Vernon Louis “Lefty” Gomez (1908-1989) who was an American professional baseball player who played with the New York Yankees and Washington Senators, and 2) Mariano Gomez y de los Angeles (1799-1872) who was a Roman Catholic present martyred in the Philippines, and 3) Maximo Gomez y Baez (1836-1905) who was a Dominican born Major General in Cuba’s War for independence against Spain.

Blazons & Genealogy Notes

1) Estrémadure – D’or à cinq fleurs-de-lis d’azur 2 1 et 2 English: Or with five fleur-de-lys azure – 2, 1 and 2.
2) Valle de Trasmiera (Espagne) – Coupé au 1 d’or au lion de gueules au 2 d’azur à trois épées accostées d’argent garnies d’or en pals les pointes en haut A la fasce de sable brochant sur le coupé English: Per fess: 1st or a lion gules; 2nd azure three swords side by side palewise, argent, hilts and pommells or, the points upwards; Overall a fess sable covering over the partition line.
3) Castille – D’argent à un pin de sinople terrassé du même accosté de deux loups affrontés de sable rampants contre le fût English: Argent a pine tree vert, placed on a mount of the same, surrounded by two wolves rampant sable, placed affrontant [face to face] against the trunk.
4) Catalogne – D’argent à trois fasces entées de sable English: Argent three bars nebuly sable.
5) Gomez-Almeida – Provence – D’argent à une tour d’azur du haut de laquelle se précipite un homme nu de carnation la tête en bas la tour posée sur une terrasse de sinople et surmontée de trois étoiles d’azur rangées en chef English: Argent with a tower azure, a man naked carnation rushed from the roof of the tower, his head downwards, the tower placed on a mount vert and surmounted by three etoiles azure, arranged in chief.
6) de Labrador – Espagne – Écartelé au 1 d’argent à la croix fleurdelisée de sable au 2 d’argent à l’aigle essorante de gueules tenant un sceptre du même au 3 de gueules à une tour d’argent au 4 d’azur à une clé d’or English: Quarterly: 1st argent with a cross florencee sable; 2nd argent with an eagle soaring gules, holding a sceptre of the same; 3rd gules with a tower argent; 4th azure with a key or.
7) de La Vega – Salduña – Écartelé au 1 d’or au lion rampant au naturel au 2 d’argent à une tête d’homme de carnation posée de profil couronnée à l’antique d’or le col dégouttant de sang au 3 d’azur à un croissant d’argent acc de huit étoiles (8) d’or rangées en orle au 4 de gueules à trois épées accostées en pals d’argent garnies d’or les pointes en bas Enté en pointe d’or à une tour sommée de trois tourelles de gueules English:Quarterly: 1st or a lion rampant proper; 2nd argent with a head of a man carnation, placed in profile, crowned with an ancient crown or, his shoulders dripping with blood; 3rd azure with a crescent argent, accompanied by eight etoiles of 8 points or, arranged in orle; 4th gules three swords, side by side palewise, argent, hilts and pommells or, the points downwards; in mantle in base or a tower triple towered gules.
8) Los de Aragón, Ciudad Real, Carrión de Calatrava y Torralba de Calatrava, traen: En campo de plata, una banda de gules, acompañada de dos torres de sable, una en lo alto y una en lo bajo. English: Ar., a bend gu., accompanied by two towers sa., one in chief and one in base.
9) Los de Jaca (Huesca), traen: En campo de oro, un león, de sable, cebado de un cordero de plata, perfilado de sable. English: Or., a lion sa. priming (?) a lamb ar.
10) Otros de Aragón, traen: En campo de plata, dos flores de lis, de oro, perfiladas de azur English: Ar., two fleur de lis or., profiled az.
11) Otros de Jaca (Huesca), traen: En campo de plata, un león rampante, de gules, lampasado de oro y uñado de sable; bordura de gules con ocho sotueres, de oro. English: Ar., a lion rampant gu., langued or. and nailed sa., within bordure of the second charged with eight saltires of the third.
12) Los de Castilla la Vieja, León y California, traen: Escudo cortado: 1º, en campo de plata, tres fajas de gules, y 2º, jaquelado de oro y azur; bordura de plata, con seis hojas de higuera, de sinople. English: Per fesse, In chief ar.three bars gu., base checky or and az, all within bordure ar, charged with five fig’s leaves vert
13) Los de Ciudad Real, traen: Escudo cortado: 1º, de oro, un león al natural; y 2º, de azur, tres fieles de balanza, de oro. English: Per fesse, in chief or, lion rampant ppr., in base az. three balance scale of the first.
14) Los de Cataluña, traen: En campo de plata, tres fajas de sable, endentadas. English: Ar, three bars indented sa.
15) Los de Santander traen: En campo de plata, un león rampante, de gules; bordura de gules, con ocho aspas de oro. English: Ar., a lion rampant gu., within bordure of the second charged with eight saltires of the third.
16) Los de Vizcaya, traen: En campo de gules, cinco castillos de oro, puestos en sotuer. English: Gu, five castles or, satltirewise.
17) Los de Zaragoza, traen: En campo de plata, nueve flores de lis de azur, puestas en tres palos; bordura de gules, con ocho aspas, de oro. English: Ar., nine fleur de lis az., in three palets, within bordure gu charged with eight saltires or.
18) Los de Argentina, traen: En campo de plata, cinco veneras, de azur, cargadas de una cruz cada una. English: Ar, five escallops az., each charged with a cross.
19) Los de Santiago (Coruña), traen: En campo de plata, dos jabalíes, de sable, en palo; bordura de gules con seis cruces, de Santiago. English: Ar, two boars sa., in pale, withing bordure gu., charged with six crosses of Santiago.
20) Los de Sevilla, traen: En campo de oro, tres castillos de gules, bien ordenados. English: Or, three castles gu, well ordered.
21) Los de Ponferrada (León), traen: En campo de azur, un brazo armado, con una espada en la mano, en plata. English: Az., an arm in armour holding a sword in the hand ar.
22) Los de Granada, traen: En campo de oro, una cadena, de sable, puesta en banda. English: Or, chain sa., bendwise.
23) Los de Navarra, traen: En campo de plata, un losange, de gules, cantonado de cuatro lises, de azur. English: Ar., a lozenge gu., cantoned (in cantons?) of four fleur de lis az.
24) Otros de Navarra, traen: En campo de plata, un árbol, de sinople y atravesado a su tronco un jabalí, de sable, perseguido por dos lebreles, de su color. English: Ar, a tree vert, the trunk crossed(?) by boar sa., pursued by two greyhounds ppr.
25) Los de Asturias, traen: En campo de plata, tres anclas, de azur, bien ordenadas. English: Az, three anchors az.
26) Otros traen: En campo de plata, un árbol, cargado de una flor de lis en su copa. English: Ar, a tree, charged with fleur de lis in treetop.
27) Los de Argentina, traen: En campo de oro, dos lobos, al natural, en palo; bordura de gules, con ocho aspas, de oro. English: Or, two wolves ppr, in pale, within bordure gu., charged with eight saltires of the first.
28) Otros de California, traen: En campo de gules, un árbol, de oro, frutado de gules, y alzado a su copa, dos jabalíes, de sable; bordura de gules, con doce estrellas, de oro. English: Gu, a tree or, fructed of the first, two boars raised ti treetop, sa., within bordure gu., charged with twelve stars or.
29) Los de Bilbao, traen: Escudo cortado por un ceñidor de sable, el jefe de oro, con un león rampante, de gules, la punta de azur con tres puñales, de plata, en faja English: Per fesse, in chief or a lion rampant gu, in base az. Three daggers ar. Fessewise, on division lie a girdle (narrow fesse) sa.
30) Los de Horna, Villarcayo (Burgos), traen: En campo de gules, una espada, de plata, encabada, de oro, sostenida por dos leones enfrentados, de oro. English: Gu., a sword ar, hilted and pommeled or, supported by two lions combatant of the last.
31) Los Radicados en Santander y pasados a México, traen: En campo de gules, una faja, de oro, y saliente de ésta un león, de sable. English: Gu, a fesse or, a lion issuant sa.
32) Los de los valles de Mena y de Carriedo, traen: En campo de oro, tres fajas de gules; bordura de plata con ocho cruces floreteadas, de sinople. English: Or, three bars gu., within bordure ar. charged with eight crosses flory vert.
33) Otros traen: En campo de oro, tres fajas, de gules; bordura de plata, con diez cruces florenzadas, de sinople. English: Or, three bars gu., within bordure ar. charged with ten crosses flory vert.
34) Los de Jaén traen: En campo de sinople, un lienzo de muralla, sumado de tres cabezas de moro. English: Vert, a wall masoned, three Moor’s heads added.
35) Los de Puerto Rico traen: En campo de plata, un águila pasmada y cebada de otra ave, de gules. English: Ar, an eagle…….(??) another bird gu.
36) Radicado en Ibrillos (Burgos) y extendido a Madrid: Losanjado de oro y gules. English: Lozengy, or and gu.
37) Radicado en Mansilla (Logroño) y extendido a Zaragoza: En campo de plata, tres fajas, de sinople. English: Ar, three bars vert.
38) Radicado en Castuera: En campo de plata, una B, de sable, rodeada de ocho estrellas, de azur. English: Ar., letter B surrounded by eight stars az.
39) Radicado en Navarra: En campo de oro, dos espadas, de azur, puestas en faja, encabadas de plata. English: Or, two swords az., hlted and pommeled ar., in fesse.
40) Radicado en Redecilla: En campo de sinople, dos árboles, de oro, puestos en faja. English: Vert, two trees or, in fesse.
41) Vecino de Escobados: En campo de azur, una bocina, de oro. Bordura de gules con ocho aspas, de oro. English: Az, a hunting horn or., withing bordure gu charged with eight saltires of the second.
42) En campo de plata, cinco escudetes de azur puestos en cruz, cargados de una lis, de plata, cada uno. English: Ar., five escutcheons crosswise, each charged with fleur de lis ar.
43) Otros traen: Escudo cortado: 1º, de oro, un águila, de azur, y 2º, de gules, un león rampante, de oro, armado, en su diestra de una espada, de plata; bordura general de oro. English: Per fesse, in chief or and eagle az., in base gu., a lion of the fisrt, holding in his dexter paw a sword ar., all within bordure or.