2000
#127,186
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 124
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.05
Very Rare Last name
Fernades
A Portuguese surname meaning "son of Fernando."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 123 Americans carry the last name Fernades. That puts it at #151,639 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,786,621 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Fernades 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
123
1 in 2,786,621
Census rank
#151,639
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
107
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 107 bearers of the surname Fernades in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 151639th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Fernades, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 32.7%. The next largest groups are White (31.8%) and Black (24.3%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Fernades
The surname Fernades is of Portuguese origin, tracing its roots back to the 15th century. It is a patronymic name derived from the personal name "Fernando," which itself has Germanic roots and means "brave traveler" or "adventurous journey." The surname was likely formed by adding the Portuguese patronymic suffix "-es" to the name Fernando, creating Fernandes or Fernades.
The name Fernades first appeared in historical records in Portugal during the Age of Discovery, a period of extensive maritime exploration and colonization by the Portuguese Empire. Many individuals bearing this surname were involved in these voyages, serving as navigators, explorers, and settlers in newly discovered lands.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the Fernades surname can be found in the chronicles of Gomes Eanes de Zurara, a 15th-century Portuguese chronicler. In his work, he mentions several individuals with the surname Fernades who took part in the conquest of Ceuta in 1415, a significant military campaign that marked the beginning of the Portuguese Empire's expansion.
During the 16th and 17th centuries, the surname Fernades spread across the Portuguese colonies, including Brazil, parts of Africa, and Asia. Many Fernades settlers established themselves in these regions, contributing to the diverse cultural and ethnic makeup of these territories.
Notable individuals with the surname Fernades include João Fernandes, a 15th-century Portuguese explorer credited with being the first European to reach the Cape of Good Hope in 1488. Another prominent figure was Gaspar Fernandes, a 16th-century Portuguese navigator and cartographer who produced one of the earliest known maps of the Indian Ocean.
In the realm of literature, Tomás Antônio Gonzaga (1744-1810), a Brazilian poet and author of the epic "Marília de Dirceu," was born with the surname Fernandes. His works played a significant role in the development of Brazilian literature and the broader cultural movement of the time.
The surname Fernades has also been associated with notable figures in the arts and sciences. One such individual was João Baptista Fernandes (1824-1897), a Brazilian painter renowned for his landscapes and historical scenes depicting the colonization of Brazil.
In the field of science, José Fernandes Pinto Alpoim (1700-1770) was a Portuguese mathematician and astronomer who made significant contributions to the understanding of celestial mechanics and the calculation of planetary orbits.
Throughout its history, the surname Fernades has been a prominent part of the Portuguese and broader Iberian cultural heritage, leaving an indelible mark on various fields of human endeavor, from exploration and navigation to literature, arts, and sciences.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Fernades
Among Census respondents with the surname Fernades, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 32.7%. The next largest groups are White (31.8%) and Black (24.3%).
The bar chart below shows how Fernades 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 Fernades surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Hispanic or Latino32.7% · 35
- White31.8% · 34
- Black or African American24.3% · 26
- Two or more races7.5% · 8
- Asian and Pacific Islander2.8% · 3
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Fernades
Fernades appears in 3 published Census surname files: 2000, 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2010
#127,494
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 134
+10 bearers (+8.1%)
Per 100,000 0.05
Rank movement Down 308 places
2020
#151,639
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 107
-27 bearers (-20.1%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 24,145 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #127,186 | 124 | 0.05 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #127,494 | 134 | 0.05 | +10 bearers (+8.1%) | Down 308 places |
| 2020 | #151,639 | 107 | 0.04 | -27 bearers (-20.1%) | Down 24,145 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 Fernades 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 | #127,494 | #151,639 | -18.9% |
| Count | 134 | 107 | -20.1% |
| Per 100K | 0.05 | 0.04 | -28.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Fernades bearers went from 134 to 107 (-20.1% change). The surname moved down 24,145 positions in the national ranking, going from #127,494 to #151,639.
FAQ
Fernades surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Fernades?
Name Census estimates that about 123 living Americans carry the surname Fernades. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,786,621 residents.
How common is Fernades?
Fernades ranks #151,639 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 107 people with the surname Fernades. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (123), 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 Fernades.
Has Fernades become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Fernades went from 134 recorded bearers to 107. That is a decrease of 27 (-20.1%). In the national ranking it fell from #127,494 to #151,639.
What does the Census say about the background of Fernades?
Among Census respondents with the surname Fernades, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 32.7%. The next largest groups are White (31.8%) and Black (24.3%). 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 Fernades in the 2020 Census, accounting for 32.7% (35 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Fernades appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Hispanic (32.7%), White (31.8%), Black (24.3%). 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 Fernades (2000, 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 Fernades mean?
A Portuguese surname meaning "son of Fernando." 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 Fernades (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 many people share the surname Fernades?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.