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

Hernández, 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 Hernández surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Hernández in America

Hernández is the 98099th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Hernández surname appeared 185 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 Hernández.

The history of the last name Hernández

The surname Hernandez has its origins in Spain, and it is derived from the Spanish given name Hernando, which is a variant of Fernando or Ferdinand. The name Hernando comes from the Germanic name Ferdinandus, which means "brave traveler" or "daring journey."

Hernandez is a patronymic surname, which means that it was initially formed by adding the suffix "-ez" to the given name Hernando. This was a common practice in Spain and other Spanish-speaking regions, where surnames were formed by combining the father's given name with a suffix to indicate family relationships.

The earliest recorded instances of the surname Hernandez can be traced back to the 12th century in Spain. Some notable historical figures with the surname Hernandez include Hernán Cortés (1485-1547), the Spanish conquistador who led the conquest of the Aztec Empire in Mexico, and Gregorio Hernandez (1576-1636), a Venezuelan venerated as the first saint of the Americas.

In the 16th and 17th centuries, as Spanish explorers and settlers spread throughout the Americas, the surname Hernandez was carried to various regions, including Mexico, Central America, and South America. Over time, it became one of the most common surnames in many Spanish-speaking countries.

Other notable individuals with the surname Hernandez include:

1. José Hernández (1834-1886), an Argentine poet and journalist, best known for his epic poem "Martín Fierro."
2. Felisberto Hernández (1902-1964), a Uruguayan novelist and short story writer, considered one of the most influential figures in the Latin American avant-garde movement.
3. Marcelino Hernández (1914-1988), a Mexican boxer and world champion in the bantamweight division.
4. Rigoberta Menchú Tum (born 1959), a Guatemalan human rights activist and recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize in 1992.
5. Mario Hernández (born 1974), a Cuban-American professional baseball player who played for several teams in Major League Baseball.

The surname Hernandez has also been subject to various spellings and variations over time, such as Hernandes, Hernandes, and Hernandez-Hernandez, reflecting regional and cultural influences.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Hernández

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

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 Hernández 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.

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

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

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