Last updated: October 9, 2026.
The night the Moner family’s house in Cleveland burned down, Isabela’s father was one of the firefighters on call. That fire is part of the Isabela Merced family story, and so is the local stage show her parents encouraged her to audition for.
Her mother is a nurse who was born in Lima. Her father is a firefighter from Louisiana. She calls herself half Peruvian and half from Ohio, and she chose her stage name in memory of her grandmother.
Quick Facts
| Birth name | Isabela Yolanda Moner |
| Born | July 10, 2001, Cleveland, Ohio |
| Mother | Katerine Moner, a nurse born in Lima, Peru |
| Father | Patrick Moner, a firefighter born in Louisiana |
| Siblings | Two brothers |
| Citizenship | American and Peruvian |
| First language | Spanish |
| Known for | Dina in The Last of Us, Hawkgirl in Superman, Dora and the Lost City of Gold |
Who Are Isabela Merced’s Parents?
Isabela Merced’s parents are Katerine and Patrick Moner. Her mother is a nurse who was born in Lima, Peru. Her father is a firefighter who was born in Louisiana. Both details come from published reporting cited on her Wikipedia page.
Katerine Moner, her mother
Katerine Moner brought Peru into the house. Spanish was Isabela’s first language, and she has said she struggled with English when she started grade school.
Her mother also made the trip that started the career. Isabela studied at the Fairmount Performing Arts Conservatory. Its director, the Broadway producer Fred Sternfeld, urged Katerine to take her daughter to New York.
The family went for a month. On what was meant to be the last day, Isabela booked her first job, a commercial for Claritin.
Patrick Moner, her father
Patrick Moner is a firefighter. Some websites describe him as a businessman, and our own earlier version of this article repeated that. The published reporting says firefighter, and we have corrected it.
His job is tied to the family’s worst night. When the Moners’ Cleveland home was destroyed by fire, he was among the firefighters on call, according to a 2025 report cited on her Wikipedia page.
Does Isabela Merced Have Siblings?
Yes. Isabela Merced has two brothers. Their names are widely given online as Jared and Gyovanni, but we have not found them in a primary source, so treat the names as reported.
Why Did She Change Her Name From Moner to Merced?
Isabela Merced was known as Isabela Moner until October 14, 2019. That day she announced she would use Merced as her stage name, in memory of her late grandmother.
Merced is now the name on her films and her music.
What Is Isabela Merced’s Heritage?
Isabela Merced is Peruvian-American. She holds both American and Peruvian citizenship. In her own words to E! in 2016, she is half Peruvian and half from Ohio.
The heritage shows up in her work. Her Broadway debut, at 10, was in Evita, where she sang in Spanish alongside Ricky Martin. In 2020 Billboard listed her among its top new Peruvian artists.
She was raised Catholic, and spoke to GQ in 2025 about how that upbringing affected her.
Where Did Isabela Merced Grow Up?
Isabela Merced grew up in Cleveland, Ohio. She was a Judy Garland fan as a child. Her parents encouraged her to try out for a local production of The Wizard of Oz, and she was cast as a Munchkin.
From there it moved quickly. Conservatory classes led to New York, New York led to Broadway, and Broadway led to television.
School kept pace. She was accepted into college at 15.
How Did Her Family Shape Her Career?
Her parents made two choices that mattered. They pointed her toward a stage, and they gave up a month to test her chances in New York.
She was the lead in Nickelodeon’s 100 Things to Do Before High School from 2014 to 2016. Films followed: Transformers: The Last Knight in 2017, then Sicario: Day of the Soldado and Instant Family in 2018.
In 2019 she played the title role in Dora and the Lost City of Gold, and won an Imagen Award for best actress that year. In 2024 she appeared in Madame Web, Turtles All the Way Down and Alien: Romulus.
Then came 2025. She played Dina in the second season of HBO’s The Last of Us, which won her an Astra TV Award, and Hawkgirl in Superman.
Another young actress who grew up bilingual in a Latin American family is Xochitl Gomez.
What Is Isabela Merced Doing Now?
In February 2026 Isabela Merced was announced as the star and an executive producer of a film based on the video game The House of the Dead. She is also attached to Man of Tomorrow, which is listed for 2027.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who are Isabela Merced’s parents? Katerine Moner, a nurse born in Lima, Peru, and Patrick Moner, a firefighter born in Louisiana.
Does Isabela Merced have siblings? Yes, two brothers.
Is Isabela Merced Peruvian? She is Peruvian-American. Her mother was born in Lima, and she holds Peruvian and American citizenship.
Where was Isabela Merced born? Cleveland, Ohio, on July 10, 2001.
Why did Isabela Moner change her name? She took the stage name Merced in October 2019 in memory of her late grandmother.
Does Isabela Merced speak Spanish? Yes. Spanish was her first language.
Why is Isabela Merced famous? She is an actress and singer known for The Last of Us, Superman, Alien: Romulus and Dora and the Lost City of Gold.
Sources
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