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

Fernandez, 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 Fernandez surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Fernandez in America

Fernandez is the 142nd most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Fernandez surname appeared 180,842 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 61 people would have the surname Fernandez.

We can also compare 2010 data for Fernandez 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 Fernandez

The surname Fernandez is of Spanish origin, derived from the Iberian Peninsula during the Middle Ages. It originated from the personal name Fernando, which is a Visigothic name composed of the Germanic elements "fraidi" meaning peace and "nanth" meaning daring or brave. The name Fernando became popular in Spain after the reign of King Fernando III of Castile and Leon in the 13th century.

The surname Fernandez is a patronymic name, meaning "son of Fernando." It was formed by adding the Spanish patronymic suffix "-ez" to the name Fernando. This naming convention was common in medieval Spain and other parts of the Iberian Peninsula, where surnames were often derived from the father's given name.

The Fernandez surname can be traced back to various regions of Spain, particularly in the northern and central areas, such as Galicia, Asturias, Castile, and Aragon. It was also prominent in the Canary Islands, which were conquered by the Spanish in the 15th century.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the Fernandez surname can be found in the Becerro de las Behetrías, a medieval census document from the 14th century that listed landowners and their properties in Castile. The name Fernandez appears numerous times in this document, indicating its widespread use at the time.

Throughout history, several notable individuals have borne the Fernandez surname. One of the most famous was Fernán González, a 10th-century count of Castile, who was instrumental in the region's struggle for independence from the Kingdom of León. Another notable figure was Hernando de Soto (c. 1496-1542), a Spanish explorer and conquistador who led the first European expedition to cross the Mississippi River in what is now the United States.

In the realm of art and literature, Juan Fernández de Heredia (c. 1310-1396) was a prominent Aragonese writer and translator, known for his contributions to the development of the Aragonese language. Pedro Fernández de Quiñones (c. 1470-1532) was a Spanish poet and playwright during the Spanish Renaissance.

In the field of science, Gonzalo Fernández de Oviedo y Valdés (1478-1557) was a Spanish historian and naturalist who wrote extensively about the natural history of the West Indies. Francisco Fernández de Córdoba (1475-1526) was a Spanish conquistador and explorer who played a significant role in the conquest of Mexico under Hernán Cortés.

These are just a few examples of the many notable individuals who have carried the Fernandez surname throughout history, reflecting its deep roots and cultural significance in the Spanish-speaking world.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Fernandez

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

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

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

Reference this page

We spend a lot of resources downloading, cleaning, merging, and formatting the data that is shown on the site.

If you found the data or information on this page useful in your research, please use the tool below to properly cite or reference Name Census as the source. We appreciate your support!