2010
#158,432
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 102
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.03
Very Rare Last name
Fenandez
An occupational surname derived from the Spanish word "herrero" meaning blacksmith or metalworker.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 138 Americans carry the last name Fenandez. That puts it at #142,049 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,483,727 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Fenandez surname. You will find the Census Bureau frequency data, a multi-census history view, an ancestry and ethnicity breakdown based on self-reported demographics, the name's meaning and origin where available, and answers to the most common questions people ask about this surname.
Bearers in the US
138
1 in 2,483,727
Census rank
#142,049
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
120
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 120 bearers of the surname Fenandez in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 142049th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Fenandez, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 85.8%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (6.7%) and Black (2.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Fenandez
The surname Fenandez is believed to have originated in Spain, with roots dating back to the medieval period. It is a Spanish patronymic surname, derived from the personal name Fernando or Hernando, which itself is derived from the Germanic name Ferdinand or Ferdinand, meaning "brave traveler" or "daring journey."
The earliest recorded instances of the surname Fenandez can be traced back to the 12th century, found in various Spanish historical records and documents. One notable early bearer of the name was Fernán González Fenandez, a Castilian nobleman and military leader who lived from around 910 to 970 CE. He played a pivotal role in the resistance against the Moorish rule in the region and is considered a national hero in Spain.
The surname Fenandez is also linked to several place names across Spain, such as Fernández de Rota, a municipality in the province of Cádiz, and Fernández Pelayo, a parish in the province of Asturias. These place names likely derived from individuals bearing the Fenandez surname who settled or held land in those areas.
Throughout history, the Fenandez surname has been associated with several prominent individuals. One notable figure was Pedro Fenandez de Quiros, a Portuguese navigator and explorer who lived from 1565 to 1614. He is credited with being one of the first Europeans to explore the islands of Vanuatu in the South Pacific and is known for his search for the legendary "Terra Australis Incognita" (the unknown Southern land).
Another famous bearer of the Fenandez surname was Juan Fenandez, a Spanish navigator and explorer who lived from around 1536 to 1604. He is best known for discovering and being marooned on the Juan Fernández Islands, a small archipelago off the coast of Chile, which later served as the inspiration for Daniel Defoe's classic novel "Robinson Crusoe."
In the realm of art and literature, one notable figure with the Fenandez surname was José Fenandez Montesinos, a Spanish literary critic and scholar who lived from 1897 to 1972. He is renowned for his significant contributions to the study of Spanish Golden Age literature, particularly the works of Miguel de Cervantes.
Additionally, the Fenandez surname has been carried by several prominent athletes, including Juan Manuel Fenandez Ochoa, a Spanish former professional tennis player who was born in 1954 and achieved a career-high ranking of No. 9 in the world in 1973.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Fenandez
Among Census respondents with the surname Fenandez, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 85.8%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (6.7%) and Black (2.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Fenandez bearers described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given surname, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown for every Census year so the breakdown stays comparable over time. When the source file also includes raw headcounts, Name Census shows those alongside the percentages in the legend.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A person's surname does not determine their race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the Fenandez surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Hispanic or Latino85.8% · 103
- Asian and Pacific Islander6.7% · 8
- Black or African American2.5% · 3
- American Indian and Alaska Native2.5% · 3
- White1.7% · 2
- Two or more races0.8% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Fenandez
Fenandez appears in 2 published Census surname files: 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2020
#142,049
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 120
+18 bearers (+17.6%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 16,383 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #158,432 | 102 | 0.03 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #142,049 | 120 | 0.04 | +18 bearers (+17.6%) | Up 16,383 places |
For 2020, the Census Bureau published race and Hispanic-origin columns as counts rather than percentages. Name Census converts those counts back into shares so the ancestry section stays comparable with the older surname files.
Year on year
2010 vs 2020 Census
How has the Fenandez surname changed between Census years? The chart shows bearer count side by side, and the table compares rank, count, and frequency.
Census year comparison
20102020
| Metric | 2010 | 2020 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #158,432 | #142,049 | 10.3% |
| Count | 102 | 120 | 17.6% |
| Per 100K | 0.03 | 0.04 | 33.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Fenandez bearers went from 102 to 120 (+17.6% change). The surname moved up 16,383 positions in the national ranking, going from #158,432 to #142,049.
FAQ
Fenandez surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Fenandez?
Name Census estimates that about 138 living Americans carry the surname Fenandez. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,483,727 residents.
How common is Fenandez?
Fenandez ranks #142,049 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 120 people with the surname Fenandez. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (138), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.04 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Fenandez.
Has Fenandez become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Fenandez went from 102 recorded bearers to 120. That is an increase of 18 (+17.6%). In the national ranking it rose from #158,432 to #142,049.
What does the Census say about the background of Fenandez?
Among Census respondents with the surname Fenandez, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 85.8%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (6.7%) and Black (2.5%). These figures come from the 2020 Census Bureau surname tables, based on how respondents described their own race and ethnicity.
Which group reports this surname most often?
Hispanic is the largest self-reported group for the surname Fenandez in the 2020 Census, accounting for 85.8% (103 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Fenandez appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Hispanic (85.8%), Asian/Pacific Islander (6.7%), Black (2.5%). For 2020, the source file also published raw headcounts for each group, which is why this page can show both percentages and counts in the ancestry section.
Is this page using the latest Census data?
Yes. This page is using the latest surname file currently loaded on Name Census, which is 2020. The historical section above also keeps any older Census surname entries we have for Fenandez (2010, 2020).
Does the Census include every surname?
No. The Census Bureau only publishes surnames that appeared at least 100 times in a given decennial Census. That means very rare surnames are excluded entirely, and a surname can appear in one Census release but disappear from a later one if it falls below the reporting threshold.
Why don't the ancestry percentages always add up to exactly 100%?
There are two main reasons: rounding and suppression. The Census Bureau rounds published values, and it may suppress very small cells to protect privacy. For 2020, the Bureau also published raw group counts rather than direct percentages, so Name Census converts those counts back into shares for comparability across census years.
What does Fenandez mean?
An occupational surname derived from the Spanish word "herrero" meaning blacksmith or metalworker. The fuller origin note on this page goes into more detail.
Where does the surname data come from?
All surname statistics on Name Census are drawn from the US Census Bureau's decennial surname frequency tables. These files list every surname that appeared 100 or more times in the 2020 Census, along with a count, a per-100,000 rate, and a self-reported demographic breakdown. You can read the full explanation on our methodology page.
How does Name Census estimate living bearers?
For surnames, Name Census does not age cohorts the way it does for first names. Instead, it takes the Census Bureau's published frequency for Fenandez (0.04 per 100,000) and applies that rate to the current U.S. resident population to estimate how many living Americans have the surname today.
How common is the surname Fenandez?
See how many people are called Fenandez on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.