2000
#2,305
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 14,385
First available Census row
Per 100,000 5.33
Uncommon Last name
Fernandes
A patronymic surname meaning "son of Fernando," a Spanish and Portuguese name derived from the Germanic name Ferdinand.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 22,133 Americans carry the last name Fernandes. That puts it at #1,822 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 6.46 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 15,486 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Fernandes 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.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Fernandes with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
22K
1 in 15,486
Census rank
#1,822
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
6.5
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
19K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 19,301 bearers of the surname Fernandes in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 6.46 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 1822nd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Fernandes, the largest self-reported group is White at 57.3%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (15.5%) and Black (12.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Fernandes
The surname Fernandes originated in Portugal and Spain, deriving from the given name Fernando, which itself comes from the Germanic name Ferdinand. This name is composed of the elements fridu, meaning "peace," and nanth, meaning "daring" or "brave." The surname Fernandes emerged as a patronymic, indicating "son of Fernando."
The earliest recorded instances of the surname Fernandes can be traced back to the 12th century in Portugal and Spain. This period coincided with the Reconquista, the Christian reconquest of the Iberian Peninsula from the Moors. During this time, many surnames emerged as a way to identify individuals and establish family lineages.
One of the earliest known bearers of the surname Fernandes was Martim Fernandes, a Portuguese explorer who, in 1445, captained one of the first European expeditions to reach the Gulf of Guinea in West Africa. Another notable figure was João Fernandes, a Portuguese navigator who is credited with discovering the Madeira Islands in 1419 or 1420.
In the 15th and 16th centuries, as the Portuguese Empire expanded across the globe, the surname Fernandes was carried by explorers, settlers, and colonists to various parts of the world. For instance, Duarte Fernandes, born around 1480, was a Portuguese explorer and author who accompanied the first Portuguese expedition to India in 1505.
The surname Fernandes also has a rich history in Spain. One notable bearer was Gonzalo Fernández de Córdoba (1453-1515), a Spanish military leader known as "El Gran Capitán" (The Great Captain), renowned for his victories in the Italian Wars during the reign of Ferdinand II of Aragon and Isabella I of Castile.
Another prominent figure was Álvaro Fernández de Córdoba y Figueroa (1610-1685), a Spanish nobleman and military leader who served as the Viceroy of Navarre and later as the Governor of the Duchy of Milan.
In the realm of literature and arts, Fernandes has produced several notable figures, such as Tomás Fernandes (1563-1628), a Portuguese Jesuit priest and writer who authored works on the history and culture of India, and António Fernandes (1570-1642), a Portuguese painter known for his religious artworks.
As the surname Fernandes spread across the globe, it underwent various spelling variations and adaptations, reflecting the influences of different languages and cultures. Some of these variations include Fernandez, Hernandez, and Ferrandiz, among others.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Fernandes
Among Census respondents with the surname Fernandes, the largest self-reported group is White at 57.3%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (15.5%) and Black (12.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Fernandes 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 Fernandes surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White57.3% · 11,059
- Asian and Pacific Islander15.5% · 2,984
- Black or African American12.0% · 2,319
- Hispanic or Latino9.5% · 1,824
- Two or more races5.3% · 1,017
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.5% · 98
Timeline
Historical Census data for Fernandes
Fernandes 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
#2,007
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 18,018
+3,633 bearers (+25.3%)
Per 100,000 6.11
Rank movement Up 298 places
2020
#1,822
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 19,301
+1,283 bearers (+7.1%)
Per 100,000 6.46
Rank movement Up 185 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #2,305 | 14,385 | 5.33 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #2,007 | 18,018 | 6.11 | +3,633 bearers (+25.3%) | Up 298 places |
| 2020 | #1,822 | 19,301 | 6.46 | +1,283 bearers (+7.1%) | Up 185 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 Fernandes 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 | #2,007 | #1,822 | 9.2% |
| Count | 18,018 | 19,301 | 7.1% |
| Per 100K | 6.11 | 6.46 | 5.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Fernandes bearers went from 18,018 to 19,301 (+7.1% change). The surname moved up 185 positions in the national ranking, going from #2,007 to #1,822.
FAQ
Fernandes surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Fernandes?
Name Census estimates that about 22,133 living Americans carry the surname Fernandes. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 15,486 residents.
How common is Fernandes?
Fernandes ranks #1,822 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 6.46 per 100,000 residents, which is about 6 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 19,301 people with the surname Fernandes. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (22,133), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 6.46 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 6.46 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 6 of them to have the surname Fernandes.
Has Fernandes become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Fernandes went from 18,018 recorded bearers to 19,301. That is an increase of 1,283 (+7.1%). In the national ranking it rose from #2,007 to #1,822.
What does the Census say about the background of Fernandes?
Among Census respondents with the surname Fernandes, the largest self-reported group is White at 57.3%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (15.5%) and Black (12.0%). 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?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Fernandes in the 2020 Census, accounting for 57.3% (11,059 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Fernandes appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (57.3%), Asian/Pacific Islander (15.5%), Black (12.0%). 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 Fernandes (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 Fernandes mean?
A patronymic surname meaning "son of Fernando," a Spanish and Portuguese name derived from the Germanic name Ferdinand. 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 Fernandes (6.46 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 have the surname Fernandes?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.