Show ContentsFernandez History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

The distinguished Spanish surname Fernandez is a proud sign of a rich and ancient heritage. The earliest forms of hereditary surnames in Spain were the patronymic surnames, which are derived from the father's given name, and metronymic surnames, which are derived from the mother's given name. Spanish patronymic names emerged as early as the mid-9th century; the most common patronymic suffix being "ez." The Fernandez name is derived from the Spanish elements "faro," meaning "journey" and "nano, " meaning "brave."

Early Origins of the Fernandez family

The surname Fernandez was first found in Castile, where the name originated in Visigothic times. Much of the popularity of this name and its cognates is due to King Ferdinand III of Castile and Leon (1198-1252) who, after leading much of the reconquest of Christian Spain from the Moors, was then canonized.

Early History of the Fernandez family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Fernandez research. Another 135 words (10 lines of text) covering the years 1500, 1536, 1576, 1604, 1636 and 1800 are included under the topic Early Fernandez History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Fernandez Spelling Variations

Spelling variations of this family name include: Fernández, Fernandez, Ferranz, Ferrándiz, Ferrandiz, Ferrández, Ferrandez, Fernandeiz, Federnandiz, Fredenandiz, Fredinandoz, Frenandoz, Fredelandez, Fredernandiz, Fernayz and many more.

Early Notables of the Fernandez family

Prominent among members of the family

  • was Asur Fernández, count of Monzon in the tenth century. Juan Fernández de Heredia, a fourteenth century Aragonese nobleman, was Grand Master of the Knights Hospitallers of Rhodes. Gonzalo Fernández...

Fernandez World Ranking

In the United States, the name Fernandez is the 223rd most popular surname with an estimated 116,889 people with that name. 1 However, in Quebec, Canada, the name Fernandez is ranked the 891st most popular surname. 2 And in France, the name Fernandez is the 81st popular surname with an estimated 32,418 people with that name. 3 Australia ranks Fernandez as 973rd with 4,071 people. 4 South America ranks Fernandez as 1st with 568 people. 5


United States Fernandez migration to the United States +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Fernandez Settlers in United States in the 16th Century
  • Francisco Fernández de Córdoba explored Central America and died in Honduras in 1525
  • Gonzalo Fernández de Oviedo participated in the exploration of America from 1514 to his death in 1537
  • Diego Fernández de Palencia settled in Peru and wrote the first history of that country in 1556
  • Jorge Fernández, who immigrated to Peru in 1560
  • Juan Fernández, who immigrated to Cartagena in 1562
  • ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)
Fernandez Settlers in United States in the 19th Century
  • Tomas Fernandez, who landed in Puerto Rico in 1802 6
  • Santiago Fernandez, who landed in Puerto Rico in 1803 6
  • Jose Fernandez, who arrived in Puerto Rico in 1803 6
  • Juan Vicente Fernandez, who arrived in Puerto Rico in 1803 6
  • Gregorio Fernandez, who landed in Espanola in 1811 6
  • ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)
Fernandez Settlers in United States in the 20th Century
  • Miss Germaine Fernandez, aged 24, German settler who arrived in New York in 1893 aboard the ship "La Gascogne", heading to Chicago 7

Australia Fernandez migration to Australia +

Emigration to Australia followed the First Fleets of convicts, tradespeople and early settlers. Early immigrants include:

Fernandez Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century
  • Mr. Joseph Fernandez, British convict who was convicted in Middlesex, England for 7 years, transported aboard the "Calcutta" in February 1803, arriving in New South Wales, Australia 8

West Indies Fernandez migration to West Indies +

The British first settled the British West Indies around 1604. They made many attempts but failed in some to establish settlements on the Islands including Saint Lucia and Grenada. By 1627 they had managed to establish settlements on St. Kitts (St. Christopher) and Barbados, but by 1641 the Spanish had moved in and destroyed some of these including those at Providence Island. The British continued to expand the settlements including setting the First Federation in the British West Indies by 1674; some of the islands include Barbados, Bermuda, Cayman Island, Turks and Caicos, Jamaica and Belize then known as British Honduras. By the 1960's many of the islands became independent after the West Indies Federation which existed from 1958 to 1962 failed due to internal political conflicts. After this a number of Eastern Caribbean islands formed a free association. 9
Fernandez Settlers in West Indies in the 18th Century
  • Abigail Fernandez, who landed in Jamaica in 1744 6
Fernandez Settlers in West Indies in the 19th Century
  • Catalina Fernandez, who arrived in Dominican Republic in 1836 6
  • Sebastian Fernandez, who landed in Dominican Republic in 1836 6
  • Alonso Fernandez, who arrived in Dominican Republic in 1877 6

Contemporary Notables of the name Fernandez (post 1700) +

  • José D. Fernández (1992-2016), Cuban-born, American Major League Baseball pitcher
  • Chico Fernández (1932-2016), born Humberto Fernández Pérez, Cuban-born, American Major League Baseball shortstop who played from 1956 to 1963
  • Abel Gonzalez Fernandez (1930-2016), American actor, best known for his role as Federal Agent William "Bill" Youngfellow on the 1959-1963 ABC Television series The Untouchables
  • Mervyn Fernández (b. 1959), American professional (NFL and CFL) football player
  • Mary Jo Fernández (b. 1971), American professional tennis player of Spanish and Cuban descent
  • Charles Sidney "Sid" Fernandez (b. 1962), American (Hawaiian, of Portuguese descent), Major League Baseball pitcher
  • Brian Fernandez, American Democratic Party politician, Delegate to Democratic National Convention from Arizona, 1996
  • Antonio Manuel Fernandez (1902-1956), American Democratic Party politician, Member of New Mexico State House of Representatives, 1935; U.S. Representative from New Mexico at-large, 1943-56; Died in office 1956; Delegate to Democratic National Convention from New Mexico, 1944
  • Angelique Fernandez, American Democratic Party politician, Delegate to Democratic National Convention from Democrats Abroad, 2000
  • Andy Fernandez, American Libertarian politician, Candidate for Texas State House of Representatives 46th District, 2012
  • ... (Another 45 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

RMS Lusitania
  • Mr. Eduardo Fernandez, English Fireman from England, who worked aboard the RMS Lusitania (1915) and survived the sinking 10


  1. "What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
  2. "The first 1,000 family names by rank, Quebec (in French only)" Institut de la statistique du Quebec, https://statistique.quebec.ca/en/document/family-names-in-quebec/tableau/the-first-1000-family-names-by-rank-quebec
  3. http://www.journaldesfemmes.com/nom-de-famille/nom/
  4. "Most Common Last Names in Australia." Forebears, https://forebears.io/australia/surnames
  5. "List of most common surnames in South America." Wikipedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_most_common_surnames_in_South_America
  6. Filby, P. William, Meyer, Mary K., Passenger and immigration lists index : a guide to published arrival records of about 500,000 passengers who came to the United States and Canada in the seventeenth, eighteenth, and nineteenth centuries. 1982-1985 Cumulated Supplements in Four Volumes Detroit, Mich. : Gale Research Co., 1985, Print (ISBN 0-8103-1795-8)
  7. Germans to America retrieved 21st October 2021. Retrieved from Glazier, Ira. A., and Filby, P. William. Germans to America: Lists of Passengers Arriving at U.S. Ports. Vol. 62, Scholarly Resources Inc, 2188
  8. Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 25th November 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/calcutta
  9. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_West_Indies
  10. Lusitania Passenger List - The Lusitania Resource. (Retrieved 2014, March 10) . Retrieved from http://www.rmslusitania.info/lusitania-passenger-list/


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