Jiménez (archaic forms, Ximénez or Ximenes; Galician and Portuguese: Ximenes, Catalan: Ximenis or Eiximenis) 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]". The root appears to stem from Basque semen ('son'), attested in the Aquitanian inscriptions as Sembeconnis and like forms. Variants of the surname include the archaic Ximénez, Ximenes, as well as Giménez, Gimenes, Jimenes, Chiménez, Chimenes, Seménez and Semenes.
In Spanish orthography, the variations of Jiménez that end with a z are written with an acute accent on the second syllable. In English, all variations are commonly written without the diacritic.
In Portuguese orthography, there is no diacritic used for Ximenes.
As 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 18th century. This obviously was not the case in Portugal.
Other languages in Castilian-dominated lands like Aragon, Asturias, Galicia, etc. often retained the -es ending, and their descendants bear witness to this historical anomaly. In Catalonia, Valencia and the Balearics, the ending -is is used instead of -es (or -ez), hence, the spelling Ximenis (or the variant with vowel epenthesis, Eiximinis or Eximenis).
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, Nobel Laureate from East Timor in 1996, and Brazilian actress, Mariana Ximenes, are prime examples of this historical difference.
Jimenes
Juan Isidro Jimenes Pereyra (1847–1919), President of the Dominican Republic
Jiménez or Jimenez
Alex Jimenez (1982–), United States Army soldier missing in action in Iraq and Iran
Jose F. Jimenez (1946-1969), Lance Corporal Jimenez, United States Marine Corps Medal of Honor recipient for heroism
Carmita Jiménez (1944–2003), Puerto Rican singer
Christian Jimenez (1986–), American soccer player
Elvio Jiménez (1940–), Major League Baseball player
Emma Laura Gutiérrez Jiménez, Mexican actress
Eustacio Jiménez (1976-2010), a Mexican professional wrestler better known as El Hijo de Cien Caras
Flaco Jiménez (1939–), Mexican-American musician
Francisco Jiménez (1979-), colonial Nahua noble from Tecamachalco
García Jiménez of Pamplona, ninth century Pamplona royalty
Iker Jiménez (1973–), Spanish journalist
Jesús Jiménez Zamora, President of Costa Rica (1863–1866 and 1868–1870)
Jose Jimenez (baseball) (1973–), Major League Baseball player
José Alfredo Jiménez (1926–1973), Mexican singer-songwriter
Joyce Jimenez (1978–), Filipino-American actress
Juan Ramón Jiménez (1881–1958), Spanish poet, Nobel Laureate
Julio Jimenez (writer), Colombian writer
Julio Jiménez (born 1934), Spanish cyclist
Julio Jiménez Rueda (1896–1960), Mexican lawyer, writer, playwright and diplomat
Julio César Jiménez (born 1954), Uruguayan footballer
Luis Antonio Jiménez (1984–), Chilean soccer player
Manny Jiménez (1938–), Major League Baseball player
Marcos Pérez Jiménez (1914–2001), President of Venezuela 1952–1958
Michele Jimenez, ballet dancer
Miguel Ángel Jiménez (1964–), top Spanish professional golfer
Óscar Jiménez (disambiguation)
Pete Jimenez (1917-2006), American soldier in World War II
Phil Jimenez (contemporary), American comic book writer
Ramón Jiménez Gaona (1969–), Paraguayan discus thrower
Ricardo Jiménez Oreamuno, son of Jesús Jiménez Zamora; President of Costa Rica (1910–1914, 1924–1928 and 1932–1936)
Roberto Jiménez (1983–), Peruvian soccer professional
Sérgio Jimenez (1984–), Brazilian racing driver
Tado Jimenez (1974–2014), Filipino actor and radio personality
Tony Jimenez, Spanish businessman and property developer
Ximenes
Carlos Filipe Ximenes Belo (1948–), Roman Catholic Bishop of East Timor, Nobel laureate
Claudio de Jesus Ximenes (contemporary), Supreme Court Chief Justice of East Timor
General Sir David Ximenes (died 1848), KCH, Berkshire magistrate, owner of stately home Bear Ash, youngest brother of Morris Ximenes
Didacus Ximenes (died 1560), Spanish monk, theologian, rector of the University of Salamanca
Ettore Ximenes (1855–1926), Italian sculptor
Francisco Ximenes de Cisneros (1436–1517), Spanish Cardinal, inquisitor and statesman (called in his lifetime "Ximenes de Cisneros")
Francisco Ximenes de Texada (1703–1775), Portuguese Grand Master of the Order of St. John
João Ximenes Braga (contemporary), Brazilian journalist and soap opera writer
Julio Ximenes Senior (1901–1975), Brazilian scientist, author, and World War II Army general
Leonardo Ximenes (1716–1786), Italian mathematician, engineer, astronomer and geographer
Mariana Ximenes (1981–), Brazilian actress
Michel Ximenes (1939–), French politician, lawyer
Moäng Ratu Dona Ines Ximenes da Silva of Flores (c. 1700), lady sovereign and member of the Portuguese Ximenes da Silva ruling family of the island-principality of Flores, in present-day Indonesia
Morris Ximenes (c. 1762-1830), English Jewish businessman who converted to Christianity; had a son, also named Sir David Ximenes, named for his uncle
Orion Ximenes Filho (1945–), Brazilian actor, voice-over artist
Paulo César Ximenes (1943–), Brazilian economist
Sebastiano Ximenes (c. late-16th century), Italian banker of Portuguese origin in Florence, patron of the arts
Vicente T. Ximenes (1919-2014), Mexican-American civil rights pioneer and politician
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 as follows, "
Ximenes of Bear Place. Or two bars gules with a pale countercoloured over all and a border azure."
Ximénez or Ximenez
Fortún Ximénez (unknown–1533), Spanish sailor and founder of first known European settlement in Baja California
José Ximénez (1601–1672), a Spanish organist and composer
Ximenis
Josep Manel Ximenis, Catalan politician
Eiximenis
Francesc Eiximenis (14th century), Franciscan Catalan writer
Ximenes, pseudonym of Derrick Somerset Macnutt (1902–1971), British crossword compiler
José Jiménez, fictional character created by comedian Bill Dana
Colonel Jimenez, a corrupt officer in the San Theodoran military in the fictional work The Broken Ear, part of the Adventures of Tintin by Hergé
Marcelo Jimenez, head doctor at Beacon Mental Hospital in the 2014 survival horror game The Evil Within
The Jiménez dynasty in 905 became kings of Pamplona, eventually expanding control to most of Christian Spain.
