Explore the Family Name Fernandez
The meaning of Fernandez
1. Spanish (Fernández): patronymic from the personal name Fernando. The surname (and to a lesser extent the variant Hernandez) has also been established in southern Italy, mainly in Naples and Palermo, since the period of Spanish dominance there. 2. Jewish (Sephardic): adoption of the name in 1 above at the moment of conversion to Roman Catholicism. After the return to Judaism (generations later), some Jewish descendants retained the surname that their families had adopted as Roman Catholics. Some characteristic forenames: Spanish Jose, Manuel, Juan, Carlos, Luis, Jorge, Miguel, Fernando, Mario, Jesus, Pedro, Francisco. Portuguese Ligia, Joao, Armanda, Godofredo, Wenceslao.
Dictionary of American Family Names, 2nd edition, © Oxford University Press, 2022.
How common is the last name Fernandez in the United States?
Based on the data from the Decennial U.S. Census, the popularity of the surname Fernandez has increased significantly over a decade. In 2000, Fernandez was ranked 178th most popular surname, but by 2010 it had jumped to 142nd, marking a 20.22% increase in rank. The count of individuals with this surname also rose substantially, with a growth of approximately 29.82%, from 139,302 in 2000 to 180,842 in 2010. Consequently, the proportion of people named Fernandez per 100,000 increased by 18.73%, indicating an overall surge in the popularity of this surname.
| 2000 | 2010 | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #178 | #142 | 20.22% |
| Count | 139,302 | 180,842 | 29.82% |
| Proportion per 100k | 51.64 | 61.31 | 18.73% |
Race and Ethnicity of people with the last name Fernandez
The ethnicity of individuals carrying the Fernandez surname, as informed by the Decennial U.S. Census, showed varied changes between 2000 and 2010. The percentage of people identifying as Hispanic experienced a slight growth of 3.57%, making up 83.58% of all Fernandez's in 2010. The proportion identifying as Asian/Pacific Islander also saw a minor increase of 4.06%. Meanwhile, the percentage of those identifying as White decreased by 22.73%, Black by 10.16%, and American Indian and Alaskan Native by 18.18%. It should be noted, however, that the count of individuals identifying with two or more races saw a significant drop of 27.91% over the decade.
| 2000 | 2010 | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hispanic | 80.7% | 83.58% | 3.57% |
| White | 11.35% | 8.77% | -22.73% |
| Asian/Pacific Islander | 5.17% | 5.38% | 4.06% |
| Black | 1.28% | 1.15% | -10.16% |
| Two or More Races | 1.29% | 0.93% | -27.91% |
| American Indian and Alaskan Native | 0.22% | 0.18% | -18.18% |
Fernandez ancestry composition
23andMe computes an ancestry breakdown for each customer. People may have ancestry from just one population or they may have ancestry from several populations. The most commonly-observed ancestry found in people with the surname Fernandez is Spanish & Portuguese, which comprises 50.8% of all ancestry found in people with the surname. The next two most common ancestries are Indigenous American (14.9%) and British & Irish (9.0%). Additional ancestries include French & German, Filipino & Austronesian, Italian, Eastern European, and Senegambian & Guinean.
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| ANCESTRY BREAKDOWN | COMPOSITION |
|---|---|
| Spanish & Portuguese | 50.8% |
| Indigenous American | 14.9% |
| British & Irish | 9.0% |
| Other | 25.3% |
Possible origins of the surname Fernandez
Your DNA provides clues about where your recent ancestors may have lived. Having many distant relatives in the same location suggests that you may all share common ancestry there. Locations with many distant relatives can also be places where people have migrated recently, such as large cities. If a large number of individuals who share your surname have distant relatives in a specific area, it could indicate a connection between your surname and that location, stemming from either recent ancestral ties or migration.
Based on 23andMe data, people with last name Fernandez have recent ancestry locations spanning a few countries, mostly in Spain, and Cuba.
| RECENT ANCESTRY Location | Percentage |
|---|---|
| Galicia, Spain | 38.30% |
| Andalusia, Spain | 38.20% |
| Castile And Leon, Spain | 37.30% |
| Asturias, Spain | 34.10% |
| Canary Islands, Spain | 32.50% |
What Fernandez haplogroups can tell you
Haplogroups are genetic population groups that share a common ancestor on either your paternal or maternal line. These paternal and maternal haplogroups shed light on your genetic ancestry and help tell the story of your family.
The top paternal haplogroup of people with the surname Fernandez is R-P311, which is predominantly found among people with European ancestry. Haplogroup R-P311 is descended from haplogroup R-M343. Other common haplogroups include R-CTS241 and R-L51, which are predominantly found among people with European and European ancestry. Other surnames with similar common haplogroups are: Silva, Diaz, Santos, Rodriguez, Alvarez, Suarez, Ruiz, Miranda, Romero, Gonzalez.
The most common maternal haplogroups of people with Fernandez surname are: A2, H, B2. These most commonly trace back to individuals of European ancestry.
Paternal Haplogroup Origins R-M343Your maternal lineage may be linked to some of the first Americans
Though the Ice Age was beginning to retreat when your A2 ancestors first entered North America, there were still massive barriers blocking their way. Glaciers and inhospitable climate covered much of the continent, blocking entry into the interior. Nonetheless, researchers have found evidence that a wave of American founders migrated over 13,000 kilometers to reach southern Chile in only 2,000 years, a blink of an eye in the story of human migration! Their highway to the south was the coast of the Pacific, stocked with fish, diverse marine mammals, and other valuable resources in the rich kelp forests of the upper latitudes and in the abundant fresh-water rivers near the equator. Because of this rapid movement south, the A2 haplogroup and its diverse branches are found throughout North and South America.
What do people with the surname Fernandez have in common?
Spoiler alert: it's complicated. People with the same last name are usually no more genetically similar than a randomly sampled group of people from the same population. That said, people with the same surname are more likely to have similar ancestries than randomly sampled individuals. The reason is the tendency of people with similar cultural or geographical backgrounds to preferentially mate with one another. That's why people who share a surname may be more likely to share traits and tendencies in common than people within the general population. Check out the percentages below to see the prevalences of tastes, habits, and traits of people with your surname compared with prevalences among 23andMe users.
Preferences
Chocolate Ice Cream
Prefers chocolate flavored ice cream over other flavors.
"Fernandez" Surname 38.2%
23andMe Users 41.3%
Traits
Misophonia
When sounds made by others, like the sound of chewing or yawning, provoke strong emotional reactions in an individual.
"Fernandez" Surname 30.0%
23andMe Users 27.9%
Habits
Sugary Drink
Drinks one or more sugary drinks per day.
"Fernandez" Surname 17.6%
23andMe Users 21.1%
Wellness
Migraine
A severe headache characterized by intense pain, sensitivity to light and sound, and often accompanied by nausea and vomiting.
"Fernandez" Surname 14.7%
23andMe Users 16.4%
Are health conditions linked to the last name Fernandez?
The short answer is that, if there is an association between surname and health, it's usually more about your ancestry than your name. Individuals with a given surname are no more genetically similar than the general population but often have similar ancestries. The populations of people associated with those shared ancestries often have sets of genetic variations, also known as alleles, in common. Some of those alleles are associated with a greater likelihood of developing certain diseases.
Disease variant frequency by ancestry
Disease allele frequencies in populations associated with the surname Fernandez are shown below. Important Note: not everyone with a disease allele will develop these health condition