Arismendi (short form: Arisme) is a Basque surname, formed from aritz (oak) + mendi (mountain), and thus meaning "mountain of oaks".

[1] The Basque people are indigenous to the area of northeast Spain and southwest France, a historical region known as the Basque Country.

A branch of the family immigrated to Latin America.

One of the first to do so was probably Juan Bernardo de Arismendi, who was from Fuenterrabía, Spain.

He immigrated to present-day Venezuela, and was commander of the fortress in Araya during the second half of the 17th century.