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

Hern??ndez, 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 Hern??ndez surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Hern??ndez in America

Hern??ndez is the 78316th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Hern??ndez surname appeared 244 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 Hern??ndez.

We can also compare 2010 data for Hern??ndez 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 Hern??ndez

The surname Hernandez is of Spanish origin, derived from the personal name Fernando, which itself comes from the Germanic name Ferdinand, meaning "brave traveler" or "adventurous journey." The name first appeared in Spain during the Middle Ages, particularly in the regions of Castile, Andalusia, and Extremadura.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Hernandez can be found in the Becerro de las Behetrías, a medieval census conducted in the 14th century during the reign of King Pedro I of Castile. This document mentions several individuals with the surname Hernandez, suggesting that the name was already well-established in parts of Spain by that time.

The name Hernandez is believed to have its roots in the Latin name Ferdinandus, which was later Hispanicized to Fernando. As surnames became more widespread in Spain during the Middle Ages, patronymic names derived from the father's given name became common. Hernandez likely originated as a patronymic, meaning "son of Fernando" or "son of Hernando."

One notable early bearer of the surname Hernandez was Diego Hernandez de Palencia, a 15th-century Spanish historian and author who wrote about the reign of King Henry IV of Castile. Born around 1430 in Palencia, he served as a royal chronicler and wrote several works, including the Cronica del Rey Don Enrique el Cuarto.

Another prominent figure with the surname Hernandez was Francisco Hernandez, a 16th-century Spanish naturalist and explorer. Born in 1515 in Puebla de Montalbán, Toledo, he was sent by King Philip II of Spain to explore and document the natural resources of New Spain (present-day Mexico). His work, Nueva Plantarum, Animalium et Mineralium Mexicanorum Historia, published in 1651, is considered a pioneering work in the field of natural history.

In the early 17th century, Miguel Hernandez de Velasco, a Spanish military officer and governor of Chile, played a significant role in the Arauco War against the Mapuche people. Born around 1585 in Andalusia, he served as governor of Chile from 1631 to 1639 and is remembered for his efforts to subjugate the indigenous population.

Gregorio Hernandez, a 17th-century Venezuelan artist and sculptor, is also noteworthy. Born in 1576 in Coro, Venezuela, he is renowned for his intricate wood carvings and religious sculptures, many of which can be found in churches throughout Venezuela.

Finally, José Hernandez, an Argentine poet and journalist, is considered one of the most influential literary figures in Latin American literature. Born in 1834 in San Martín, Buenos Aires, he is best known for his epic poem Martín Fierro, which depicts the life and struggles of a gaucho in the Argentine Pampas.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Hern??ndez

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Hern??ndez.

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 Hern??ndez 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 Hern??ndez 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 Hern??ndez was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

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

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