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

Fernanders, 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 Fernanders surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Fernanders in America

Fernanders is the 75069th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Fernanders surname appeared 257 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 Fernanders.

We can also compare 2010 data for Fernanders 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 Fernanders

The surname Fernanders is believed to have originated in the Iberian Peninsula, specifically in Portugal and Spain, during the medieval period. It is likely derived from the Portuguese word "fernandes," which translates to "son of Fernando." Fernando, or Ferdinand in English, was a popular name among the nobility and ruling classes in these regions.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname Fernanders can be found in the Livro Velho de Linhagens (Old Book of Lineages), a Portuguese genealogical manuscript dating back to the 13th century. This document mentions several individuals bearing the name Fernanders, suggesting its widespread use among the Portuguese aristocracy at the time.

In the 14th century, the Fernanders surname appeared in various historical records across the Iberian Peninsula, including the Repartimiento de Sevilla, a document detailing the distribution of land and properties in the city of Seville after its reconquest from the Moors in 1248. This record mentions several individuals with the surname Fernanders, indicating their presence in the region during this period.

During the Age of Exploration in the 15th and 16th centuries, many Portuguese and Spanish explorers and colonists bearing the surname Fernanders embarked on voyages to the New World and established settlements in various parts of the Americas. One notable figure was Fernão Fernandes, a Portuguese explorer who is credited with being one of the first Europeans to reach the coast of Brazil in 1516.

Another prominent individual with the surname Fernanders was Gaspar Fernandes, a Portuguese navigator and cartographer who lived in the late 15th and early 16th centuries. He is renowned for his contributions to the development of early modern cartography, including the creation of the iconic Cantino planisphere in 1502, one of the earliest surviving world maps depicting the New World.

In the 17th century, the Fernanders surname gained further prominence in Spain with the birth of José Fernandez de Torreblanca (1617-1684), a Spanish playwright and poet who was celebrated for his contributions to the Spanish Golden Age of literature.

Over the centuries, the Fernanders surname has undergone various spelling variations, such as Fernandes, Fernandez, and Ferraandes, reflecting the linguistic and cultural influences of different regions. However, the core meaning and origin of the name have remained largely unchanged, rooted in the rich historical tapestry of the Iberian Peninsula.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Fernanders

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

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 Fernanders 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 Fernanders 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 Fernanders was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

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

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