Hernando
A masculine name of Spanish origin meaning "voyager, adventurer."
Name Census estimates that about 673 living Americans carry the first name Hernando. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Hernando today is around 44 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Hernando births was 1967 (20 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Hernando. Below you will find a gender breakdown showing how the name splits between male and female registrations, a year-by-year popularity chart stretching back to 1880, decade-level totals, the top US states for this name, its meaning and etymology, and a set of frequently asked questions with data-backed answers.
People living today
673
~ 1 in 509,293 Americans
Peak year
1967
20 babies that year
Average age
44
years old
2024 SSA rank
#12,942
Tracked since 1916
Popularity
Hernando: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Hernando from the 1910s through to the 2020s, spanning 12 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1970s, with 145 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 1970s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Hernando by decade
The table below breaks the full SSA timeline into ten-year windows. Each row shows how many male and female babies were given the name Hernando during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Hernandos live
The SSA's state-level files cover 3 states and territories. New York, California, Florida recorded the most babies named Hernando, while Florida, California, New York recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 13 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Hernando
The name Hernando has its roots in the Spanish language and culture, originating during the Middle Ages. It is derived from the Germanic name Ferdinand, which itself comes from the words "frīdu" meaning peace and "nanth" meaning courage or daring. The name was introduced to Spain by the Visigoths, a Germanic tribe that ruled the region from the 5th to the 8th century.
One of the earliest and most notable figures with the name Hernando was Hernando Cortés, the Spanish conquistador who led the expedition that caused the fall of the Aztec Empire in present-day Mexico. Cortés was born in 1485 in Medellín, Spain, and his conquest of the Aztecs between 1519 and 1521 paved the way for the eventual Spanish colonization of the Americas.
Another significant Hernando in history was Hernando de Soto, a Spanish explorer and conquistador who led the first European expedition deep into the territory of the modern-day United States. De Soto was born in Extremadura, Spain, in 1496 and is credited with the first European sighting of the Mississippi River in 1541.
In the realm of literature, Hernando de Acuña was a Spanish poet and dramatist of the 16th century, best known for his contributions to the Spanish Golden Age theater. He was born in 1520 in Valladolid, Spain, and his works were highly acclaimed during his lifetime.
Moving to the world of music, Hernando Cortez was a renowned Venezuelan composer, conductor, and violinist of the late 19th and early 20th centuries. He was born in 1853 in Caracas and is considered one of the most influential figures in the development of Venezuelan classical music.
Lastly, Hernando de Grijalva was a Spanish explorer and navigator who played a crucial role in the early Spanish exploration of the Pacific coast of Mexico and Central America. He was born in Triana, Spain, in the late 15th century and led several expeditions in the early 16th century, contributing to the mapping of the region.
People
Hernando + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Hernando as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with H
Other first names starting with H with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Hernando: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Hernando?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 673 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Hernando going back to 1880 and adjusting each cohort for expected survival using CDC actuarial life tables. The result is an age-weighted living-bearer count, not a raw birth total. That works out to about 1 in 509,293 US residents.
Is Hernando a common name?
We classify Hernando as "Very Rare". It ranks above 87.3% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 762 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Hernando most popular?
The single biggest year for Hernando was 1967, when 20 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Hernando is about 44 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Hernando a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Hernando in the SSA data are male. You can see the full per-sex comparison in the gender distribution section above, which includes the latest year rank, birth count, and peak year for each sex.
Where does this data come from?
First-name figures come from the Social Security Administration's national baby name files, which cover every name on a birth certificate from 1880 to 2024. Living-bearer estimates layer in CDC actuarial life tables broken out by sex to account for mortality. The population baseline (342,754,338) is the Census Bureau's latest national estimate. You can read the full calculation on our methodology page.