Hernandez History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
Portugal
Spain

The Hernandez surname is a patronymic form, created from the personal name Fernando. 1 This is one of the most common surnames in Portugal. Fernandes is the 243rd most common surname in the world.

The name Hernandez demonstrates the influence that Spanish often had on the Portuguese culture and surnames as it is composed of the Spanish words "faro" (journey, expedition) and "nano" (daring and brave). Combined, these two words may have been used a nickname surname; that is, as a surname that somehow describe a characteristic of its original bearer. Some think that this name may have been historically used by those engaged against the Moors.

Early Origins of the Hernandez family

The surname Hernandez was first found in Iberian peninsula. The name Hernandez and its many variants were one of the most popular surnames in Medieval Portugal and Spain, and remains among the most common on the Iberian Peninsula today. The earliest known Portuguese record of the name notes that Diogo Fernandes Correia held the office of Administrator of Flanders for King John II.

Early History of the Hernandez family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Hernandez research. Another 51 words (4 lines of text) covering the years 1394, 1445, 1446, 1453, 1455, 1456, 1460, 1475, 1488, 1495, 1498, 1501, 1511, 1542, 1563, 1569, 1576, 1580, 1595, 1596, 1605, 1606, 1614, 1636, 1642, 1654 and 1667 are included under the topic Early Hernandez History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Hernandez Spelling Variations

Spelling variations of this family name include: Fernant, Farrant, Hernando, Hernan, Hernanz, Fernando, Fernan, Fernao, Ferrao, Hernandez, Hernaez, Hernaiz, Fernandez, Ferrandez, Ferrandiz, Fernandes and many more.

Early Notables of the Hernandez family

Prominent members of the family include António Fernandes, a Portuguese explorers of the early 15th century. He was raised in the household of Prince Henry "the Navigator" of Portugal (1394-1460), and lead expeditions to Africa. João Fernandes was another 15th century Portuguese explorer, of West Africa, where he was a pioneer of the European slave and gold trade, and...
Another 59 words (4 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Hernandez Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Hernandez World Ranking

In the United States, the name Hernandez is the 29^th most popular surname with an estimated 477,504 people with that name. 2 However, in Canada, the name Hernandez is ranked the 945^th most popular surname with an estimated 5,732 people with that name. 3 And in Quebec, Canada, the name Hernandez is the 816^th popular surname. 4 France ranks Hernandez as 225^th with 16,105 people. 5 South America ranks Hernandez as 33^rd with 105 people. 6

Hernandez migration to the United States +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Hernandez Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Cayetano Hernandez, who landed in Puerto Rico in 1803 7
Joaquin Hernandez, who arrived in Puerto Rico in 1803 7
Catalina Hernandez, who arrived in America in 1811 7
Diego Hernandez, who arrived in America in 1811 7
Isabel Hernandez, who landed in America in 1811 7
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Hernandez 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. 8

Hernandez Settlers in West Indies in the 19th Century

Juan Hernandez, who arrived in Cuba in 1833 7
Toribio Hernandez, who landed in Dominican Republic in 1834 7
Leonor Hernandez, who landed in Dominican Republic in 1836 7

Contemporary Notables of the name Hernandez (post 1700) +

Peter Gene Hernandez (b. 1985), birth name of Bruno Mars, an American eleven-time Grammy Award winning singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, record producer, and choreographer
Rafael Hernandez Colón (b. 1936), Puerto Rican politician, Governor of Puerto Rico (1973-1977) and (1985-1993)
Vice Admiral Diego E. Hernandez (1934-2017), United States Navy officer, the first Hispanic American to be named Vice Commander, North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD)
Aaron Josef Hernandez (1989-2017), American football tight end and convicted murderer
Toney T. Hernandez, American Republican politician, Candidate for Michigan State House of Representatives 25th District, 1966 9
Sandra Hernandez, American Democratic Party politician, Delegate to Democratic National Convention from California, 2004 9
Robert Hernandez, American Democratic Party politician, Alternate Delegate to Democratic National Convention from Colorado, 1980, 2000 9
Ricardo Hernandez, American Democratic Party politician, Delegate to Democratic National Convention from Arizona, 2004 9
Randal Hernandez, American Republican politician, Delegate to Republican National Convention from California, 2004 9
Ralph Hernandez, American politician, Candidate for Mayor of Antioch, California, 1992 9
... (Another 72 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Citations +

Hanks, Patricia and Flavia Hodges, A Dictionary of Surnames. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1988. Print. (ISBN 0-19-211592-8)
"What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
"Surnames Meanings, Origins & Distribution Maps - Forebears." Forebears, https://forebears.io/surnames
"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
http://www.journaldesfemmes.com/nom-de-famille/nom/
"List of most common surnames in South America." Wikipedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_most_common_surnames_in_South_America
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)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_West_Indies
The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2016, May 19) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html