Garmendia

Garmendia is the surname of a family of the Basque Country region of Guipuzcoa, in Spain. The surname means "wheat mountain" (gar 'wheat', mendi 'mountain'), after Garmendia de Iraurgui, later known as Salvatierra de Iraurgui, later the site of the cities of Azpeitia and Azkoitia.

As almost every basque family, Garmendia enjoys the status of hidalgo, of ancient origin, previous to the Reconquista. The family spread out of the Basque Country to the rest of Spain and, during colonization, to Argentina, Chile, United States, Mexico and Cuba.

The coat of arms of some of its bearers is Argent, a boar sable, running away from a hunter, who injures it with a lance sable tipped azure, upon a hill vert with a tree vert.

Notable people sharing the surname Garmendia

• Basil Spalding de Garmendia, American tennis player
• Cristina Garmendia, Basque businesswoman and Science & Innovation Minister of Spain
• Francisco Garmendia, American Catholic bishop
• Germán Garmendia, creator of videos on YouTube
• Ignacio Garmendia, Chilean television actor
• Ion Garmendia Anfurrutia, Basque musician
• José Garmendia Iraundegui, Spanish researcher in meteorology and medicine.
• José Ignacio Garmendia, Basque footballer
• Joseba Garmendia, Basque footballer
• Luisa Garmendia, First Lady of Chile in 1827–1829, wife of President Francisco Antonio Pinto
• Mikel Garmendia, Basque actor
• Nerea Garmendia. Basque actress and comedian
• Salvador Garmendia, Venezuelan actor
• Alexander Garmendia, American Hedge Fund Associate

As a second or maternal surname

• Aníbal Pinto de Garmendia, President of Chile in 1876-1881
• Augusto Pérez Garmendia, Spanish military officer
• Enrique Molina Garmendia, Chilean philosopher
• Enriqueta Pinto Garmendia, First Lady of Chile in 1841-1846 and 1846–1851, wife of President Manuel Bulnes