Isabela Merced

Merced in 2017, photo by Prphotos

Birth Name: Isabela Yolanda Moner

Place of Birth: Cleveland, Ohio, U.S.

Date of Birth: July 10, 2001

Ethnicity:
*father – Slovak, Polish, possibly other
*mother – Peruvian

Isabela Merced, also credited as Isabela Moner, is an American actress and singer. She starred as Dora the Explorer in the live action Dora and the Lost City of Gold, and has also had leading roles in the films Middle School: The Worst Years of My Life, Transformers: The Last Knight, Sicario: Day of the Soldado, Instant Family, Let It Snow, Spirit Untamed, Sweet Girl, Father of the Bride (2022), and Rosaline; the series 100 Things to Do Before High School, Dora and Friends: Into the City!, and Maya and the Three, the latter two in voice role; and the made-for-tv movies Splitting Adam and Legends of the Hidden Temple.

Her father, Patrick, is American, and was born in Louisiana, of Slovak, Polish, and possibly other, ancestry. Her mother, Katerine, is Peruvian, from Lima. A picture of Isabela with her maternal grandfather can be seen here.

Credited as Isabela Moner in her early roles, she changed her stage name to Isabela Merced in 2019, after her maternal grandmother’s name. She speaks fluent Spanish.

Isabela’s paternal grandmother is Geraldine Arlene Moner (the daughter of John P. Moner and Jean/Jennie/Janyna S. Dorazewski). Geraldine was born in Ohio. John was the son of John Moner, who was born in Virginia, to Slovak parents, and of Emma/Enna Rusinjok/Rusina, who was Slovak. Jean was born in Massachusetts, to Polish parents, Stanley/Stanislaw Dorazewski and Mary Laskowski.

Isabela’s maternal grandfather is named Atilio Pompeyo Pizarro Huamán.

Isabela’s maternal grandmother was named Yolanda Merced/Mercedes Salazar Pittman.

Sources: Marriage record of Isabela’s paternal great-grandparents, John P. Moner and Jean/Jennie/Janyna S. Dorazewski – https://www.familysearch.org

Isabela’s paternal great-grandparents, John P. Moner and Jean/Jennie/Janyna S. Dorazewski, on the 1930 U.S. Census – https://www.familysearch.org

Birth record of Isabela’s paternal great-grandfather, John P. Moner – https://www.familysearch.org

Isabela’s paternal great-great-grandparents, John Moner and Emma/Enna Rusinjok/Rusina, on the 1920 U.S. Census – https://www.familysearch.org
John Moner and Emma/Enna Rusinjok/Rusina on the 1930 U.S. Census – https://www.familysearch.org

Birth record of Isabela’s paternal great-grandmother, Jean/Jennie/Janyna S. Dorazewski – https://www.familysearch.org

Isabela’s paternal great-grandmother, Jean/Jennie/Janyna S. Dorazewski, on the 1920 U.S. Census – https://www.familysearch.org

Isabela’s paternal great-great-grandparents, Stanley/Stanislaw Dorazewski and Mary Laskowski, on the 1930 U.S. Census – https://www.familysearch.org

LOS ANGELES - JUL 16: Isabela Moner at the 2015 Kids' Choice Sp

LOS ANGELES – JUL 16: Isabela Moner at the 2015 Kids’ Choice Sports at the UCLA’s Pauley Pavilion on July 16, 2015 in Westwood, CA, photo by kathclick/Bigstock.com

22 Responses

  1. ma214469 says:

    Is she of Indigenous descent?

  2. andrew says:

    Her maternal great-grandmother’s surname, Pittman, is an interesting one. It’s not Spanish but either English, German or Jewish, and it seems common in Perù.

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