2000
#9,109
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,298
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.22
Rare Last name
Fontanez
A habitational surname referring to someone from any of various places named Fontanés, Fontanes, or Fontanez in Spain.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 5,012 Americans carry the last name Fontanez. That puts it at #7,354 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.46 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 68,387 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Fontanez 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
5.0K
1 in 68,387
Census rank
#7,354
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.5
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
4.4K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 4,371 bearers of the surname Fontanez in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.46 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 7354th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Fontanez, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 91.0%. The next largest groups are White (6.8%) and Black (1.3%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of 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.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Fontanez
Among Census respondents with the surname Fontanez, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 91.0%. The next largest groups are White (6.8%) and Black (1.3%).
The bar chart below shows how Fontanez 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 Fontanez surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Hispanic or Latino91.0% · 3,978
- White6.8% · 297
- Black or African American1.3% · 59
- Two or more races0.4% · 18
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.3% · 15
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.1% · 4
Timeline
Historical Census data for Fontanez
Fontanez 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
#8,222
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,036
+738 bearers (+22.4%)
Per 100,000 1.37
Rank movement Up 887 places
2020
#7,354
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,371
+335 bearers (+8.3%)
Per 100,000 1.46
Rank movement Up 868 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #9,109 | 3,298 | 1.22 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #8,222 | 4,036 | 1.37 | +738 bearers (+22.4%) | Up 887 places |
| 2020 | #7,354 | 4,371 | 1.46 | +335 bearers (+8.3%) | Up 868 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 Fontanez 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 | #8,222 | #7,354 | 10.6% |
| Count | 4,036 | 4,371 | 8.3% |
| Per 100K | 1.37 | 1.46 | 6.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Fontanez bearers went from 4,036 to 4,371 (+8.3% change). The surname moved up 868 positions in the national ranking, going from #8,222 to #7,354.
FAQ
Fontanez surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Fontanez?
Name Census estimates that about 5,012 living Americans carry the surname Fontanez. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 68,387 residents.
How common is Fontanez?
Fontanez ranks #7,354 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.46 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 4,371 people with the surname Fontanez. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (5,012), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.46 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.46 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Fontanez.
Has Fontanez become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Fontanez went from 4,036 recorded bearers to 4,371. That is an increase of 335 (+8.3%). In the national ranking it rose from #8,222 to #7,354.
What does the Census say about the background of Fontanez?
Among Census respondents with the surname Fontanez, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 91.0%. The next largest groups are White (6.8%) and Black (1.3%). 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 Fontanez in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.0% (3,978 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Fontanez appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Hispanic (91.0%), White (6.8%), Black (1.3%). 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 Fontanez (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 Fontanez mean?
A habitational surname referring to someone from any of various places named Fontanés, Fontanes, or Fontanez in Spain. 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 Fontanez (1.46 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 common is the surname Fontanez?
Want to know how many people are called Fontanez? HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, puts the living-bearer count front and centre.