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

Fontanez, 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 Fontanez surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Fontanez in America

Fontanez is the 8222nd most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Fontanez surname appeared 4,036 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 1 people would have the surname Fontanez.

We can also compare 2010 data for Fontanez 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 Fontanez

The surname Fontanez has its origins in Spain, dating back to the medieval period. It is derived from the Spanish word "fontana," which means "fountain" or "spring." This suggests that the name was likely given to someone who lived near a fountain or natural spring.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Fontanez can be found in the 13th-century manuscript "Libro de la Montería" by King Alfonso XI of Castile. This document mentions a man named Pedro Fontanez, who was a hunter in the service of the king.

In the 15th century, the name appears in various records from the region of Andalusia, particularly in the city of Seville. This could indicate that the name had its origins in this area of southern Spain.

During the Spanish colonization of the Americas, the name Fontanez was carried over to the New World. One notable bearer of this surname was Juan Fontanez, a Spanish soldier and explorer who accompanied Hernán Cortés in the conquest of Mexico in the early 16th century.

Another prominent figure with the surname Fontanez was María Fontanez, a renowned 17th-century Spanish painter who is considered one of the earliest known professional female artists in Europe.

In the 18th century, the name Fontanez can be found in various records from the island of Puerto Rico, which was a Spanish colony at the time. This suggests that individuals with this surname may have been among the early settlers of the island.

One of the earliest recorded Puerto Rican individuals with the surname Fontanez was Tomás Fontanez, a landowner and farmer who lived in the town of Ponce in the late 18th century.

In the 19th century, a notable bearer of the Fontanez surname was José Fontanez, a Puerto Rican poet and journalist who played a significant role in the island's literary and cultural movements of the time.

Overall, the surname Fontanez has a rich history spanning multiple centuries and regions, with its origins rooted in medieval Spain and its later presence in the Spanish colonies of the Americas.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Fontanez

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

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

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

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