Find out how popular the last name Fernández is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Fernández.

Fernández, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Fernández surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Fernández in America

Fernández is the 108734th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Fernández surname appeared 163 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 people would have the surname Fernández.

We can also compare 2010 data for Fernández to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name Fernández

The surname Ferandez is believed to have originated in Spain, derived from the personal name Fernando, which itself comes from the Germanic name Ferdinand. The earliest known use of the name can be traced back to the early medieval period in the Iberian Peninsula.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Ferandez can be found in the Codex Calixtinus, a 12th-century manuscript from the medieval kingdom of Galicia in northwestern Spain. This document contains references to individuals bearing the surname, indicating its use during that time.

The name Ferandez is thought to have evolved from the patronymic form "Fernández," which means "son of Fernando." This naming convention was common in medieval Spain, where surnames were often derived from the father's given name.

In the 13th century, during the time of the Reconquista, the name Ferandez appears in various records and chronicles documenting the campaigns against the Moors. Notable individuals bearing this surname include Pedro Ferandez de Castro (1240-1292), a nobleman and military leader who played a significant role in the conquest of Seville.

As the Spanish Empire expanded in the 16th and 17th centuries, the name Ferandez was carried to various parts of the world by explorers, conquistadors, and settlers. One prominent figure from this era was Juan Ferandez (1536-1604), a Spanish navigator and explorer who discovered the Juan Fernandez Islands off the coast of Chile.

Another notable person with the surname Ferandez was Diego Ferandez de Córdoba (1455-1525), a Spanish conquistador and explorer who led expeditions to present-day Nicaragua and Honduras. He is credited with establishing the first Spanish settlements in those regions.

In the realm of literature, Jerónimo Ferandez de Espinosa (1564-1635) was a Spanish playwright and poet known for his contributions to the Golden Age of Spanish theater. His works included numerous comedies and religious plays that were widely popular during his time.

It is worth noting that variations in spelling, such as Fernandez, Fernandes, and Fernández, are commonly found throughout historical records due to regional differences and the evolution of the Spanish language over time.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Fernández

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Fernández.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Fernández was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Fernández has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Fernández was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Fernández, please contact us.

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