Mexican Americans are people who have an ethnic Mexican ancestry. The list includes, besides Mexican immigrants having American citizenship and their descendants, resident Mexicans who lived in the Mexican Southwest of the current U.S. when this territory was incorporated into the U.S. in 1848 and thereby became U.S. citizens.
The following list of Mexican Americans includes original immigrants and settlers of South from United States who obtained American citizenship and their American descendants.
This list is ordered by surname within section.
Directors and filmmakers
Robert Alvarez – animator, television director and writer
John A. Alonzo – Influential cinematographer
Edward Carrere – art director
Fernanda Coppel – screenwriter and playwright
Julio Hernández Cordón – director and screenwriter
Mike Elizalde – special make up effects artist, Oscar nominated
Moctezuma Esparza – producer
Hampton Fancher – producer and screenwriter
Emile Kuri – set decorator, won two Academy Awards and was nominated for six more in the category Best Art Direction
Paul Lerpae – special effects artist, Oscar nominated
Bill Meléndez – animator, director, and producer
Steven C. Melendez – animator, director, and producer, son of Bill Melendez
Sylvia Morales – director, writer, and producer
Gregory Nava – director, producer and screenwriter
Edward James Olmos – director and actor
Manuel Perez (animator) – animator and animation director
Robert Rodríguez – director, producer and screenwriter
Phil Roman – Animation director, founder of Film Roman animation studio
Craig Saavedra
Jesús Salvador Treviño – television director
Luis Valdez – playwright and director
Roberto Orci – screenwriter and producer
William A. Fraker – cinematographer
Gabriel Medina – cinematographer
Chris Weitz – director, producer and screenwriter
Paul Weitz – director, producer and screenwriter
Rudy Zamora – animator and animation director
Erica Arana – actress, model, TV host, and Former NFL cheerleader
Arianny Celeste – MMA Ring Girl, model, TV host
Ayiiia Elizarraras – TV personality and model
Yoanna House – model, fashion model, TV host and America's Next Top model Winner (Cycle 2)
Erika Medina – model
Naima Mora – model, fashion model, America's Next Top model winner (cycle 4)
Carter Oosterhouse – Nautica and HGTV's Carter Can
Mia St. John – professional boxer, model, businesswoman and tae kwon do champion
Christian Serratos – actress, model and singer
Musicians and music groups
Cecy B – rapper, singer, actress
Paula DeAnda – singer
Lou Adler – record producer, manager and director
Pepe Aguilar – singer
Rikk Agnew – singer, musician
Ak'Sent – rapper
Anacani – singer
Joan Baez – singer, songwriter, activist*
Baby Bash – rapper* Becky G – Pop singer and rapper
Kap G – rapper
King Lil G – rapper
Kirko Bangz – rapper
Rick Rosas – singer, musician, bassist for Joe Walsh and Niel Young, Crosby Stills Nash and Young, Buffalo Spingfield, Crazy horse
Tony Bellamy (Yaqui/Mexican) – Musician and vocalist of the Native American rock band Redbone.
Betzaida – Latin pop singer
Cassie Ventura – singer, songwriter and dancer
Cedric Bixler-Zavala singer, musician
The Blendells – soul band
Chingo Bling – rapper
Juan Brujo – Lead singer of Brujeria
Sabrina Bryan – singer, actress
Chuck Cabot – saxophonist and big band leader
Laura Canales – Tejano singer
Nati Cano – Grammy Award winning mariachi musician
Vicki Carr – Grammy Award winning singer
Albert Castillo – music producer
Dino Cazares – guitarist
Ingrid Chavez – singer, songwriter, poet
Mark Chavez – musician
Vicci Martinez – singer, songwriter
El Chicano – soul and jazz band
Lisa Coleman – Grammy and ASCAP Award winning musician/composer, funk keyboardist, member of Prince and The Revolution and Wendy and Lisa
Kid Cudi – rapper
Marcos Curiel – guitarist
Diana DeGarmo – singer, actress
Fito de la Parra – drummer of Canned Heat
Zack De La Rocha – rapper, singer, poet, lead member of Rage Against the Machine
Gonzalo de la Torre – singer, musician
Grey DeLisle – singer-songwriter, voice actress
Andrew Martinez – drummer
Lhasa De Sela – singer, songwriter
Nadir D'Priest – musician
Sheila E. – musician
Roberto Enrique – singer, songwriter, actor
Joe Escalante – musician
Alejandro Escovedo – singer, songwriter, musician
Coke Escovedo – percussionist
Pete Escovedo – percussionist
Louis Febre – Mexican-born composer
Freddy Fender – Tejano and country musician
Fergie – singer-songwriter, actress, member of The Black Eyed Peas
Aundrea Fimbres – singer, member of Danity Kane
Rosie Flores – rockabilly and country singer
Mando Fresko – DJ, radio personality, actor
Frost – rapper
Victoria Galvan – singer, musician
Andrew Garcia – musician, American Idol (Season 9 contestant)
Girl In a Coma – rock band
Selena Gomez – singer, actress
Gonjasufi – rapper
Lalo Guerrero – singer, songwriter
Ha*Ash – rock pop duo
Cenobio Hernandez – composer
Marcos Hernandez – singer, songwriter
Miguel – recording artist, songwriter, producer of Mexican and African-American descent
Raymond Herrera – drummer
David Hidalgo – singer, songwriter
Marques Houston – singer
Intocable – Tejano band
Frankie J – singer
Johnny J – multi-platinum music producer, rapper, songwriter
Prima J – Pop duo
Flaco Jiménez – accordionist, musician
Maya Jupiter – DJ, emcee
DJ Kane – singer
Joshua Kadison – singer, songwriter
Apollonia Kotero – actress, singer and model
A Lighter Shade of Brown – rap group
Robert Lopez – musician
Trini Lopez – singer, guitarist
Demi Lovato – singer, actress
Kirstin Maldonado – member of Grammy winning group Pentatonix
Malo – Latin rock and roll soul band
Malverde – rapper
Angélica María – Lifetime Grammy Award winning singer-songwriter and actress
Vanessa Marquez – singer, songwriter
Cruz Martínez – musician, music producer
Javier Jose Mendoza – conductor
Lydia Mendoza – Tejano music singer
Jorge Mester – conductor
Roy Mitchell-Cardenas – rock bassist
Laura Molina – singer, musician, artist, painter, muralist
Chris Montez – singer, musician
Annette Moreno – Grammy nominated Spanish-language Christian music singer
Chino Moreno – lead singer of Team Sleep and Deftones
Myra – singer, songwriter
Natalie – singer, songwriter
Los Nativos – rap group
Emilio Navaira – Tejano singer
Dave Navarro – guitarist
Vince Neil – lead vocalist of the band Mötley Crüe
Asia Nitollano – member of The Pussycat Dolls
Pete Orta – Grammy Award winning guitarist Petra
José Pasillas – drummer
Sara Paxton – singer, actress
Pee Wee – singer, songwriter, actor
Jennifer Peña – Tejano singer
Amanda Perez – singer, songwriter
Chris Pérez – Grammy Award winning guitarist
Yolanda Pérez – musician, singer
Romina Power – singer-songwriter, actress
A.B. Quintanilla – musician, music producer
Elida Reyna – Tejano singer
Johnny Richards – jazz composer active during the 1950s and 1960s
Jenni Rivera – singer, songwriter
Lil Rob – rapper
Johnny Rodriguez – country music singer
Sixto Rodriguez – folk musician.
Chan Romero – singer, musician
Linda Ronstadt – Grammy Award winning musician
Andy Russell – (1919–1992) vocalist, specializing in traditional pop and Latin music. His parents were Mexican immigrants
Sam the Sham – Leader of Sam the Sham and the Pharaohs
Adán Sánchez – singer, son of legendary Chalino Sanchez
Jessica Sanchez – singer. Her father is a Mexican American, originally from Texas, and is a US Navy veteran. Her mother is a Filipina from Samal, Bataan in the Philippines.
Hope Sandoval – singer, songwriter
Esteban Jordan – singer, songwriter
Sonny Sandoval – singer, member of P.O.D.
Carlos Santana – Grammy Award winning guitarist
Selena – Tejano superstar / Grammy award-winning singer
Arban Severin – musician, actress
Shakey Graves – Americana musician
Esperanza Spalding – jazz singer, musician
Taboo – rapper, member of The Black Eyed Peas
Abel Talamantez – singer
John Tejada – electronic musician, music producer
Thee Midniters – rock and soul band
Melody Thornton – singer, model, member of The Pussycat Dolls
Tierra – R&B, soul band
Randy Torres – guitarist
Tina Piña Trachtenburg – rock pop band
Robert Trujillo – bassist
John Trudell – musician, author, poet, political activist
Chayito Valdez – singer, actress
Ritchie Valens – singer, musician
Patrick and Lolly Vegas – Yaqui/Shoshone/Mexican musicians and vocalists of the Native American rock band Redbone.
Jaci Velasquez – contemporary Christian Latin pop singer
Julieta Venegas – singer-songwriter, instrumentalist
El Vez – singer
Angela Via – singer, songwriter
Jasmine Villegas – R&B, pop singer
Kyle Vincent – singer, songwriter; producer
Taco Shop Poets – spoken word and world music band
The Zeros – punk-rock band
Authors and poets
Oscar Zeta Acosta – minor novelist, activist, attorney and politician
Francisco X. Alarcon author, poet, activist, and college professor
Alurista – poet, activist, and college professor
María Amparo Ruiz De Burton – author
Rudolfo Anaya – author
Nahshon Dion Anderson – activist, actor, award winning writer, model and producer
Gloria E. Anzaldúa – author, poet, scholar and activist
Norma Elia Cantú – writer and professor
Ana Castillo – author, novelist, poet and essayist
Lorna Dee Cervantes – poet
Ingrid Chavez – singer, songwriter and poet
Sandra Cisneros – author, novelist and poet
María Antonieta Collins – TV host, journalist and author
Carlos Cumpián – author and poet
Diana Gabaldon – novelist
Dana Gioia – writer, chairman of the National Endowment of the Arts
Guillermo Gómez-Peña – artist, author, poet and activist
Rigoberto González – author and critic
Rodolfo Gonzales – Political activist, poet and featherweight boxing champion
Reyna Grande – author, memoirist
Sonia Gutiérrez – poet, author, translator and college professor
Juan Felipe Herrera – poet, author, translator and activist
Miriam Herrera – author and poet
Rolando Hinojosa – author, novelist, poet and essayist
Luis Leal (writer) – writer and literary critic
Paul Martínez Pompa – author and poet
José Montalvo – author, poet and activist
José Montoya – artist and poet
Pat Mora – author and poet
Cherríe Moraga – author, poet, essayist and activist
Julian Nava – author, educator and diplomat
Daniel Olivas – author and attorney
Americo Paredes – (1915–1999) novelist
Tomás Rivera – author, poet and educator
Alberto Rios – American poet and author
Luis J. Rodriguez – author, poet, novelist, journalist, critic and columnist
Richard Rodriguez – author
Luis Omar Salinas – author and poet
Ricardo Sanchez – author and United States Army general
Jimmy Santiago Baca – author and poet
Danzy Senna – author and novelist
Gary Soto – author and poet
Sergio Troncoso – author, novelist, short-story writer and essayist
John Trudell – musician, author, poet and Political activist
Luís Alberto Urrea – author, poet, novelist and essayist
José Antonio Villarreal – author and novelist
Victor Villaseñor – author and public speaker
Maria Helena Viramontes – author and professor
Karen Zacarias – award winning playwright
Manuel Gregorio Acosta – artist, painter and illustrator
Juana Alicia – artist, painter and activist
Carlos Almaraz – street artist and muralist
Axel Alonso – American comic book creator (in DC Comics from 1994 to 2000, and at Marvel Comics from 2000 to the present).
Pete Alvarado – animation and comicbook artist
Cecilia Alvarez – artist, painter and muralist
Natalia Anciso – artist and educator
Don Gregorio Antón – artist, photographer and educator
Alfonso Arana – artist and painter
Fortunato Arriola – artist and painter
Gus Arriola – artist and comic Strip cartoonist
Judy Baca – artist, painter, muralist and activist
Santa Barraza – artist, painter and activist
Mel Casas – artist, painter and activist
Yreina Cervantez – artist, painter, activist and muralist
Galo Canote (also known as "Make", "MakeOne" or "LoveGalo") – graffiti artist, painter, muralist and activist
Miguel Condé – artist, painter and print-maker
Peter Coffin – artist and painter
Salvador Corona – folk-art style painter
Enrique Chagoya – artist, painter and print-maker
Edgar De Evia – photographer
Jerry De La Cruz – artist and painter
Roberto De La Rocha – artist, painter and muralist
Daniel Martin Diaz – artist and painter
Richard Dominguez – comic book artist and Illustrator.
Carlos Dorrien – artist and sculptor
Elsa Flores – Street artist
Diane Gamboa – artist and painter
Harry Gamboa, Jr. – performance artist, photographer and essayist
Carmen Lomas Garza – artist, painter and illustrator
Guillermo Gómez-Peña – performance artist, author, activist and educator
David Gonzales – cartoonist
Gronk – performance artist, painter and print-maker
Ester Hernandez – artist and painter
Javier Hernandez – comic book artist and radio host
Judithe Hernández – painter, activist, educator, and public artist
Luis Jimenez – artist and sculptor
Yolanda Lopez – artist, painter, print-maker, educator and movie producer
Gilbert Luján – artist, painter, muralist and sculptor
Alex Martinez – graffiti artist, illustrator, muralist
Xavier Martínez – artist, painter and teacher
Alberto Mijangos – artist and painter
Mister Cartoon – tattoo and Graffiti artist
Laura Molina – artist, painter, muralist, and musician
Franco Mondini-Ruiz – visual artist
Rhode Montijo – comic book artist and co-creator of the cartoon Happy Tree Friends.
Rafael Navarro – comic book artist
Manuel Neri – artist, painter, print-maker and sculptor
Victor Ochoa – painter, muralist and activist
Martín Ramírez – self-taught artist
Michael Ramirez – Pulitzer Award winning cartoonist
Daniel "Chaka" Ramos – graffiti artist
Miguel Angel Reyes – artist, painter, print-maker, muralist, Illustrator and Instructor
Anita Rodriguez – artist and painter
Carlos Saldaña – comic book artist and comedian
John August Swanson – visual artist
Patssi Valdez – painter, artist and activist
Mark Vallen – artist, figurative realist painter, activist, curator and blogger
Kathy Vargas – artist and painter
Rafael Vargas-Suarez – contemporary artist, painter and photographer
Emigdio Vasquez – artist and muralist
Jhonen Vasquez – cartoonist, comic book and author
Esteban Villa – artist and muralist
Kat Von D – tattoo artist and TV personality
Estevan Oriol – photographer and director
Gustavo Arellano – editor at the Los Angeles Times and writer/creator of ¡Ask a Mexican!
Ron Arias – highly regarded Chicano writer and correspondent
Jim Avila – TV journalist and correspondent
María Antonieta Collins – TV host, journalist and author
Frank H. Cruz-TV anchor and reporter
Laura Diaz – Southern California newscaster and co-anchor of CBS 2 News
Giselle Fernández – TV journalist and reporter
Luis De La Garza – TV and radio host
Christy Haubegger – movie producer and founder of Latina Magazine
Maria Hinojosa – broadcast journalist and correspondent
Monica C. Lozano – editor, publisher and CEO of La Opinión, the largest Spanish language newspaper
Tony Ortega (journalist) – newspaper editor, blogger
Raul Peimbert – Spanish-language TV journalist and newscaster
John Quiñones – News correspondent, award-winning journalist
Jorge Ramos – Spanish-language TV news anchor and journalist
Naibe Reynoso – TV journalist and reporter
Rubén Salazar – TV journalist and reporter
María Elena Salinas – Spanish-Language TV news anchor and journalist
Lauren Sánchez – Emmy Award winning journalist
Oscar Zeta Acosta – Politician, attorney, minor novelist and activist
Romana Acosta Bañuelos – former Treasurer of the United States
Pete Aguilar – U.S. Representative (CA-31)
Mike Aguirre – former city attorney of San Diego, California
Juan Bautista Alvarado – twice governor of Alta California from 1836 to 1837 and 1838 to 1842
Toney Anaya – US Democratic Politician and Former Governor of New Mexico
Jerry Apodaca – Former Governor of New Mexico
Hector Balderas – attorney general of New Mexico
Nanette Barragán – U.S. Representative (CA-44)
Rosemary Barkett – Chief Justice of the Florida Supreme Court
Xavier Becerra – U.S. Representative (CA-31)
Jaime Herrera Beutler – U.S Representative (WA 3)
Polly Baca – served as Chair of the Democratic Caucus of the Colorado House of Representatives
George P. Bush – son of Jeb Bush
Cruz Bustamante – former California lieutenant governor
Ezequiel Cabeza de Baca – Former Governor of New Mexico
Anna Escobedo Cabral – 42nd Treasurer of the United States
Kiki Camarena – undercover agent for the United States Drug Enforcement Administration
Salud Carbajal – U.S. Representative (CA-24)
Tony Cárdenas – U.S. Representative (CA-29)
Carlos Antonio Carrillo – (1783–1852), Gobernor of Alta California, (1837–1838). His father, José Raimundo Carrillo, came from Loreto, México.
José Antonio Carrillo – (1796–1862), Californio ranchero, official and political. He was brother of Carlos Antonio Carrillo.
Juan José Carrillo – the first mayor of Santa Monica, California
Ruben Castillo – Chief Judge for the United States District Court for the Northern District of Illinois
José Castro (b. California, 1808 – d. February 1860) was acting governor of Alta California in 1835–1836, and Commandante General of the Mexican army in Alta California at the time of the 1846 Bear Flag Revolt and the Mexican–American War of 1846–1848
Raul Hector Castro – governor of Arizona
Lauro Cavazos – secretary of education
Gabe Cazares – former mayor of Clearwater, Florida
Dennis Chavez – U.S. Senator from New Mexico
Henry Cisneros – former Secretary of Housing and Urban Development and mayor of San Antonio, Texas
Lou Correa – U.S. House of Representatives (CA 46)
Henry Cuellar – U.S. House of Representatives Texas's 28th congressional district
Gonzalo P. Curiel – district judge
James DeAnda – attorney and United States federal judge, noted for his activities in defense of Hispanic civil rights, particularly as a plaintiff's attorney in Hernandez v. Texas.
Mario Gallegos, Jr. – Texas state senator
Pete Gallego – Former U.S. Representative (TX 23)
Ruben Gallego – U.S. Representative (AZ 7)
Tony Gallegos – Chairman of the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission
Jesus "Chuy" Garcia – Cook County Commissioner, former Member of Illinois State Senate, Mayor Candidate for the city of Chicago
Ruben Garcia Jr. – former executive assistant director of FBI
Reynaldo Guerra Garza – first Hispanic judge appointed to the U.S. Court of Appeals
Tony Garza – U.S. ambassador to Mexico
Eric Garcetti – Mayor of Los Angeles
Gil Garcetti – Former Los Angeles district attorney
Alberto Gonzales – United States Attorney General
Henry Gonzalez (1916–2000) U.S. Representative (Texas)
Irma Elsa Gonzalez – federal judge
Matt Gonzalez – politician, member of the Green Party
Rafael Gonzales – (1789–1857) A native of San Antonio, Texas, he was governor of Coahuila and Texas.
Ron Gonzales – former mayor of San José, California
Steven Gonzalez – Justice of the Washington Supreme Court
Vicente González – U.S. House of Representatives (TX 15)
Raúl Grijalva – U.S. House of Representatives (AZ 3)
Eva Guzman – member of Texas Supreme court
Ruben Hinojosa– U.S. Representative (Texas 15)
Ruben Kihuen– U.S. Representative (NV 4)
Octaviano Ambrosio Larrazolo – former governor of New Mexico and first Latino to serve United States Senate
Oscar Leeser – mayor of El Paso
Sam Liccardo – mayor of San Jose, California
Marco Lopez – mayor of Nogales, Arizona
Manuel Lujan Jr. – U.S. Representative from New Mexico
Roberto de la Madrid – governor of Baja California
Abel Maldonado – 47th Lieutenant Governor of California
Rosario Marin – 41st Treasurer of the United States
Catherine Cortez Masto – U.S. Senator
Harold Medina – Senior Judge of United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit
Gloria Molina – Los Angeles County Supervisor and former vice-chair of the Democratic National Committee
Joseph Montoya – former U.S. Senator from New Mexico
David Sánchez Morales – CIA operative
Carlos R. Moreno – Supreme Court Justice, California
Mary H. Murguia – federal judge
Ramón Músquiz – Governor of Coahuila and Texas from 1830 to 1831 and in 1835.
Fabian Núñez – California State Representative, current Speaker of the California State Assembly
Estevan Ochoa – historic mayor of Tucson, Arizona, he was the first Mexican-American mayor after the Gadsen Purchase of 1854
Solomon Ortiz – U.S. Representative (TX-27)
Mariano S. Otero – a Delegate from the Territory of New Mexico
Miguel Antonio Otero – former Governor of New Mexico
Romualdo Pacheco – governor of California
Alex Padilla – Los Angeles City Council Member
Steve Padilla – former mayor of Chula Vista, California
Richard Paez – federal judge on the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit
Federico Peña – former mayor of Denver, Colorado, former United States Secretary of Transportation and former United States Secretary of Energy
Francisco Perea – a Delegate from the Territory of New Mexico
Andrés Pico (1810 – February 14, 1876) was, as the political administration changed, a mixed-race Californio youth; a successful rancher and commander; and an influential American politician; in 19th century California. He was brother of Pío Pico
Pío Pico (May 5, 1801 – September 11, 1894) was the last Governor of Alta California (now the State of California) under Mexican rule
Miguel A. Pulido – mayor Santa Ana, California
Anthony Rendon – Speaker of the California State Assembly.
Cruz Reynoso – former judge on the Supreme Court of California, Presidential Medal of Freedom (Recipient)
Bill Richardson – former governor of New Mexico, former U.S. Secretary of Energy
Rebecca Rios – Arizona state senator
Rosa Rios – is the 43rd and current treasurer of the United States, businesswoman, executive and entrepreneur.
Albert Robles – politician and convicted criminal
Gloria Romero – Democratic majority leader in the California State Senate, college professor
Trinidad Romero – Delegate to United States Congress from the Territory of New Mexico
Edward Roybal – former U.S. Representative from California
Ernesto Ruffo Appel – politician and former governor of Baja California
Raul Ruiz (politician) – U.S. Representative (CA 36)
Mary Salas – former California Assembly representative
John Salazar – U.S. Representative (CO-3)
Ken Salazar – U.S. Senator (CO)
Ezequiel D. Salinas – state court judge from Texas
Loretta Sanchez – U.S. Representative (CA-47)
Linda Sánchez – U.S. Representative (CA-39)
Brian Sandoval – Governor of Nevada
Hilda Solis – U.S. Secretary of Labor, former U.S. Representative (CA-32)
Raymond Telles – The first mayor of a large American city (El Paso, Texas)
Esteban Edward Torres – former Representatives, U.S. ambassador to UNESCO, and labor activist
Juan Vargas – U.S. Representative (CA-51)
Gaddi Vasquez – U.S.Ambassador and 8th United States Representative to the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization
Filemon Vela Jr. – U.S. Representative (TX-34)
Antonio Villaraigosa – former mayor of Los Angeles
Kim McLane Wardlaw – federal judge, US Court of Appeals
Brian Sandoval – governor of Nevada
Susana Martinez – governor of New Mexico
Alicia Garza Founder of Black Lives Matter. Half-Mexican, Half-African American
Mary Yu – associate justice of the Washington Supreme Court
Bertrand Blanchard Acosta – aviator, fighter pilot
Lucian Adams – Medal of Honor (World War II)
Everett Alvarez Jr. – Navy LCdr/pilot who endured 8.5 years in Vietnamese captivity and one of the longest periods as a U.S. prisoner of war (POW)
Joe R. Baldonado – Medal of Honor (Korean War)
David B. Barkley – Medal of Honor (World War I)
Roy Benavidez – Medal of Honor (Vietnam War)
Pedro Cano – Medal of Honor (World War II)
Robert Cardenas – U.S. Air Force Brigadier General
Richard E. Cavazos – first U.S. Army Hispanic 4-star general, Distinguished Service Cross (Korea and Vietnam)
Kathlene Contres – U.S. Navy
Emilio A. De La Garza – Medal of Honor (Vietnam War)
Ralph Ellis Dias – Medal of Honor (Vietnam War)
Jesus S. Duran – Medal of Honor (Vietnam War)
Victor H. Espinoza – Medal of Honor (Korean War)
Santiago J. Erevia – Medal of Honor (Vietnam War)
Daniel Fernandez – Medal of Honor (Vietnam War)
José María Flores – General and Governor of Alta California (Mexican–American War)
Guy Gabaldon – Navy Cross recipient, credited with capturing (or persuading to surrender) about 1,500 Japanese soldiers and civilians during the Battle of Saipan (World War II)
Joe Gandara – Medal of Honor (World War II)
Candelario Garcia – Medal of Honor (Vietnam War)
Marcario Garcia – Medal of Honor (World War II)
Edward Gomez – Medal of Honor (Korean War)
Eduardo C. Gomez – Medal of Honor (Korean War)
Harold Gonsalves – Medal of Honor (World War II)
David M. Gonzales (1923–1945) – Medal of Honor (World War II)
Alfredo Cantu "Freddy" Gonzalez – Medal of Honor, KIA in Huế (Vietnam)
Ambrosio Guillen – Medal of Honor (Korean War)
Rodolfo P. Hernandez – Medal of Honor (Korean War)
Silvestre S. Herrera – Medal of Honor (World War II)
Edward Hidalgo – former Secretary of the Navy
Jose F. Jimenez – Medal of Honor (Vietnam)
Miguel Keith – Medal of Honor (Vietnam)
Salvador J. Lara – Medal of Honor (World War II)
Felix Z. Longoria, Jr. – first Mexican American buried in Arlington National Cemetery (World War II)
Jose M. Lopez – Medal of Honor (World War II)
Benito Martinez – Medal of Honor (Korean War)
Joe P. Martinez – Medal of Honor (World War II)
Joseph V. Medina – Brigadier General
Louis Gonzaga Mendez, Jr. – highly decorated Colonel, commander of the 3rd Battalion, 508th Parachute Infantry Regiment (World War II). He was born in Mexico.
Tony Mendez – ex-CIA agent, portrayed in 2012 American film Argo.
Ernest Medina – Captain of Company C, 1st Battalion, 20th Infantry of the 11th Brigade, Americal Division
Manuel V. Mendoza – Medal of Honor (World War II and Korean War)
Francisco Mercado, Jr. – Distinguished Service Cross
Eugene A. Obregon – Medal of Honor (Korean War)
Ralph Ambrose O'Neill – flying ace during WWI
Mike C. Pena – Medal of Honor (World War II and Korean War)
Rafael Peralta – Navy Cross (Iraq War)
Oscar F. Perdomo – United States Air Force flying ace (World War II)
Manuel Perez Jr. – Medal of Honor (World War II)
Leroy Petry – Medal of Honor (War in Afghanistan)
Lori Piestewa (1973–2003) – the first woman in the U.S. armed forces killed in the 2003 Iraq war
Alfred V. Rascon – Medal of Honor (Vietnam War)
Eldon Regua – Major General in the US Army reserve
Louis R. Rocco – Medal of Honor (Vietnam War)
Jose Rodela – Medal of Honor (Vietnam War)
Cleto Rodriguez – Medal of Honor (World War II)
Joseph C. Rodriguez – Medal of Honor (Korean War)
Alejandro R. Ruiz – Medal of Honor (World War II)
Ricardo Sanchez – United States Army General and author (Iraq War)
Marcelino Serna – Distinguished Service Cross (World War I)
France Silva – Medal of Honor (boxer Rebellion)
Eugene Suarez – U.S. Marine, war photographer, World War II and Korean War
Jose F. Valdez – Medal of Honor (World War II)
Eugene A. Valencia, Jr. – flying ace (World War II), Navy Cross
Alfred Valenzuela – Major General, United States Army
Jay R. Vargas – Medal of Honor (Vietnam)
Ysmael R. Villegas – Medal of Honor (World War II)
Maximo Yabes – Medal of Honor (Vietnam)
Sam Ybarra – (1945–1982) was a United States Army soldier who served in the Tiger Force commando unit attached to the 101st Airborne Division during the Vietnam War. He was of Mexican and Apache descent.
Scholars and educators
Rodolfo Acuña – historian and professor
Ricardo Ainslie – psychology professor
Frederick Luis Aldama – University distinguished scholar, writer
Lena Lovato Archuleta – educator, librarion, and administrator
Alfred Arteaga – writer, poet and scholar
Elsa Salazar Cade – entomologist/science educator
Mariano Velazquez de la Cadena – grammarian, scholar, and author
Lauro Cavazos – U.S. Secretary of Education (1988–1990)
Francisco G. Cigarroa – chancellor of the University of Texas System and president of the UT Health Science Center in San Antonio, Texas.
Miguel Angel Corzo – CEO and president of LA Plaza de Cultura y Artes
Jose Cuellar – professor of Chicano studies
Robert R. Davila – president of Gallaudet University
Alicia Gaspar de Alba – historian, scholar, author
Roberta Fernández – novelist, scholar, critic and arts advocate professor
Francisco Gil-White – anthropologist and educator
Jonathon J. Andrew Muñoz – philosopher and educator
Laura E. Gómez – president of the Law and Society Association and a professor of law and American studies at the University of New Mexico
Guillermo Gómez-Peña – performance artist, author, activist and educator
Juan Gómez-Quiñones – professor, historian, poet and activist
Martin Guevara Urbina – writer, researcher, professor whose work focuses on Latino issues
José Ángel Gutiérrez – professor and attorney
Ralph C. Guzman – political scientist, professor, author, Deputy Assistant U.S. Secretary of State, provost Merrill College UC Santa Cruz
Arturo Islas – professor of English and novelist
J. Michael Ortiz – president emeritus of Cal Poly Pomona
Alberto Ríos Ríos is a Regents' Professor at Arizona State University, educator and author.
Arnulfo Trejo – writer, college professor, and literary activist
Francisco H. Vázquez – scholar and public intellectual
Erv Wilson – music theorist
Science and technology
Albert Baez – physicist and professor, developed the X-ray microscope
Elsa Salazar Cade – science educator and entomologist
Victor Celorio – inventor of Instabook or book on demand
France A. Córdova – former NASA chief scientist
Teofilo F. Gonzalez – computer scientist and professor
Sidney M. Gutierrez – former astronaut
Jose Hernández (astronaut) – astronaut
Miguel de Icaza – software programmer
Lydia Villa-Komaroff – molecular and cellular biologist
Ynes Mexia – prominent botanist
Héctor García-Molina – computer scientist and professor in the departments of Computer Science and Electrical Engineering at Stanford University
Mario J. Molina – co-discoverer of decomposition of ozone with CFC aerosols, Nobel laureate in Chemistry
Ellen Ochoa – astronaut, director for flight crew operations for NASA
John D. Olivas – NASA astronaut
Alfredo Quinones-Hinojosa, M.D. – associate professor of neurosurgery and oncology; director of the Brain Tumor Stem Cell Laboratory at Johns Hopkins University and brain surgeon at Johns Hopkins Hospital
Eloy Rodriguez – biochemist, professor at Cornell University
Sarah Stewart – pioneered the field of viral oncology research.
Ignacio Tinoco, Jr. – chemist and professor
Nora Volkow – scientist, physician, psychiatrist, great-granddaughter of Leon Trotsky and director of the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA), part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH).
Civil rights leaders and community activists
Lucy G. Acosta – civil rights activist
Lupe Anguiano – civil rights activist
Norma V. Cantu – civil rights lawyer and college professor
Carlos Cadena – attorney in the landmark Hernandez v. Texas supreme court case
Aurora Castillo – environmental activist
Sal Castro – civil rights activist and educator
Ernesto Chacon – Latino and low income civil rights activist
César Chávez(1927–1993) – labor leader and activist
Linda Chavez-Thompson – former executive vice-president of the AFL-CIO
Miguel Contreras – labor leader
Jeanne Córdova – lesbian and gay rights activist, writer
Bert Corona – labor and community organizer
Ricardo Cruz – attorney, civil rights activist
Maria Echaveste – former White House Deputy Chief of Staff and Senior Fellow at the Center for American Progress
Josefina Fierro de Bright – civil rights activist during The Great Depression
Ernesto Galarza – labor activist, professor, and writer
Gustavo C. Garcia – attorney in the landmark Hernandez v. Texas supreme court case
Rodolfo Gonzales — leader of the Chicano civil rights movement, boxer, poet
José Ángel Gutiérrez — political activist, founder of the Raza Unida party, writer, and professor
John J. Herrera – civil rights leader
Dolores Huerta – civil rights leader
Ralph Lazo – advocated on behalf of Japanese American internment victims.
Nativo Lopez – civil rights activist
Raul Loya – civil rights activist
Mimi Lozano – co-founded the Society of Hispanic Historical and Ancestral Research
Angel G. Luévano – labor leader and activist
Rueben Martinez – activist and businessman
Vilma Socorro Martínez – civil rights activist, lawyer and diplomat
Eliseo Medina – labor activist
Janet Murguía – civil rights activist
Ernesto Nieto – founder of the National Hispanic Institute
Alex Pacheco, activist
Emiliano Reyes – Business executive and humanitarian activist. He is of Mexican and Swedish descent.
Julian Samora – community activist, teacher, and scholar
Olga Talamante – political activist
Emma Tenayuca – labor organizer
Reies López Tijerina – activist, founder of the Alianza Federal de Mercedes
John Trudell – Musician, author, poet, and political activist
Baldemar Velasquez – president of the Farm Labor Organizing Committee
Vicente T. Ximenes – civil rights activist, commissioner of EEOC, and chairman of first Presidential Cabinet on Mexican American Affairs
Raul Yzaguirre – civil rights activist
Oscar Cantu – auxiliary bishop in San Antonio, Texas.
Gilbert Espinosa Chávez – Roman Catholic bishop
Virgilio Elizondo – Roman Catholic priest, and theologian
Cirilo Flores – 5th Bishop of San Diego
Patrick Flores – Roman Catholic bishop
Elias Gabriel Galvan – retired bishop of the United Methodist Church
Richard John Garcia – bishop of Monterey, California
Gustavo García-Siller – Archbishop of the Archdiocese of San Antonio
José Horacio Gómez – the Archbishop of Los Angeles
René Henry Gracida – bishop
Our Lady of Guadalupe
Clate W. Mask Jr. – a general authority of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
Peter Morales – president of the Unitarian Universalist Association
Eduardo Nevares – auxiliary bishop of the Diocese of Phoenix
Ricardo Ramirez – bishop of Las Cruzes, New Mexico.
Plácido Rodriguez – bishop of Lubbock, Texas
Jaime Soto – Roman Catholic coadjutor bishop of Sacramento
James Anthony Tamayo – bishop of Laredo, Texas.
Joe S. Vasquez – bishop of the Roman Catholic diocese of Austin, Texas.
Gabino Zavala – auxiliary bishop of the Archdiocese of Los Angeles.
Businesspeople and entrepreneurs
Michael Ball (fashion mogul) – fashion mogul
Hector Barreto – 21st Administrator of the US Small Business Administration
Rudy Chapa – track runner and businessman
Anna Maria Chávez – CEO of the Girl Scouts of the USA
William Davila – First Mexican-American president of a large supermarket chain
Tavo Hellmund – former racing driver and promoter
Ninfa Laurenzo – restaurateur
Bismarck Lepe – information technology CEO and product manager.
Ignacio E. Lozano, Sr. – founder of La Opinión, the largest Spanish language newspaper in the US
José I. Lozano – executive vice-president of Impremedia LLC
Daniel Lubetzky – entrepreneur, author and activist, best known as the Founder and CEO of KIND LLC.
David Martinez – Managing partner
Mariano Martinez (entrepreneur) – inventor, entrepreneur and restaurateur
Emilio Azcárraga Milmo – CEO and businessman
Oscar Munoz (executive) – CEO of United Airlines
Arturo Moreno – businessman and owner of the Los Angeles Angels
Rosa Rios is the 43rd and current treasurer of the United States, businesswoman, executive and entrepreneur.
Louis Ruiz – creator of Ruiz Foods, Inc. (Largest Latino owned company in California)
Tony Sanchez – businessman, philanthropist, and Democratic politician
Solomon Trujillo – CEO and businessman
Louis Verdad – fashion designer
Oscar J. Zuniga – engineer and businessman
Sergio Zyman – marketing executive
Gregorio Cortez (1875–1916) – Mexican-American outlaw and folk hero
Joaquin Murrieta (1829–1853) – Mexican-American bandit or Robin Hood during the California Gold Rush of the 1850s.
List of Mexican Americans Wikipedia (Text) CC BY-SA
