Jiménez

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

This article is about the surname 'Jiménez'. For other uses, see Jiménez (disambiguation).
"Ximénez" redirects here. For other uses, see Ximénez (disambiguation).
Ettore Ximenes' "Dante" can be found in Washington, D.C.'s Meridian Hill Park.
Ettore Ximenes' "Dante" can be found in Washington, D.C.'s Meridian Hill Park.

(See below for disambiguation of the names Jiménez and Ximenes)

Jiménez [archaic Ximénez/Ximenes] is a surname of Iberian origin, first appearing in the Basque lands. Jiménez is a patronymic construction from the modern-styled given name Jimeno, plus the Spanish suffix -ez, meaning "son [of]". Variants of the surname include the archaic Ximénez, Jimenes, Ximenes, Giménez, Gimenes, as well as Chimeno, and Semenes.

In Spanish orthography, when the stress of a word falls on the penultimate syllable and the word ends with an "N", "S" or a vowel, the word need not carry a diacritic on the vowel of the stressed syllable (in this case é). In English orthography, all variations are commonly written without the diacritic -- Jimenez, Ximenez, Gimenez, Jimenes, Ximenes, and Gimenes.

In Portuguese language orthography, there is no diacritic used for Ximenes.

Contents

[edit] Portuguese Descent

When the modern name Ximenes has an -es suffix, it is almost certainly of Portuguese, Galician or Old Spanish origin, as the orthographic change to -ez (and indeed, the consonant shift from X to J) was revised in Spain only in the late 1700s. This obviously was not the case in Portugal.

Other languages in Castilian-dominated lands like Catalonia, Galicia, Aragon, etc. often retained the -es ending, and their descendants bear witness to this historical anomaly.

The name Ximenes itself is thought to derive as both surname and place name from the common Iberian territory of Galicia, since Lusophone linguists believe the Galician language is the forebear of both Modern Portuguese and Modern Spanish.

Ximenes, as such, exists most commonly in Portugal, and in all of the ex-Portuguese Crown territories, especially in Brazil. Bishop Carlos Filipe Ximenes Belo, Noble Laureate from East Timor in 1996, and Brazilian actress, Mariana Ximenes, are prime examples of this historical difference.

[edit] People

WP Anthroponymy notice This page or section lists people with the surname Jiménez. If an internal link for a specific person referred you to this page, you may wish to add the given name(s) to that link.


Illustration for the Ximenes of Poissy, France clan. Their descendants also reside in Brazil.

Motto (Latin): In Deo Æternum (Into God Eternally).

An alternate coat of arms is assigned to the Ximenes of Bear Ash/Place clan by the College of Arms, in the United Kingdom. The coat of arms is described thusly, "Ximenes of Bear Place. Or two bars gules with a pale countercoloured over all and a border azure."

"Ximenes de Poissy" Coat of Arms: French dynasty of Portuguese origin
"Ximenes de Poissy" Coat of Arms: French dynasty of Portuguese origin

[edit] Pseudonyms

[edit] Fictional Persons

  • Jose Jimenez, fictional character created by comedian Bill Dana
  • Ximines, crossword puzzle setter for the Listener and successor to Torquemada

[edit] Sephardic Name

The surname Jimenez has been identified by the Holy Office of the Catholic Church of Spain as a Sephardic (Jewish) surname.[1][2]

[edit] Ruling Dynasty

The Jiménez dynasty in 905 became kings of Pamplona, eventually expanding control to most of Christian Spain.

[edit] External links