Hernández History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
Portugal
Spain

The distinguished Spanish surname Hernández 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 Hernández name is derived from the Spanish elements "faro," meaning "journey" and "nano, " meaning "brave."

Early Origins of the Hernández family

The surname Hernández 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 Hernández family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Hernández research. Another 135 words (10 lines of text) covering the years 1500 and 1542 are included under the topic Early Hernández History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Hernández Spelling Variations

Spelling variations of this family name include: Hernandez, Hernandes, Hernande and others.

Early Notables of the Hernández family

Prominent among members of the family

Diego Hernández de Arequipa received a grant of arms and land from King Charles V in 1542...

Hernández World Ranking

In the United States, the name Hernández is the 29^th most popular surname with an estimated 477,504 people with that name. 1 However, in Canada, the name Hernández is ranked the 945^th most popular surname with an estimated 5,732 people with that name. 2 And in Quebec, Canada, the name Hernández is the 816^th popular surname. 3 France ranks Hernández as 225^th with 16,105 people. 4 South America ranks Hernández as 33^rd with 105 people. 5

Hernández migration to the United States +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Hernández Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Cayetano Hernandez, who landed in Puerto Rico in 1803 6
Joaquin Hernandez, who arrived in Puerto Rico in 1803 6
Catalina Hernandez, who arrived in America in 1811 6
Diego Hernandez, who arrived in America in 1811 6
Isabel Hernandez, who landed in America in 1811 6
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Hernández 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. 7

Hernández Settlers in West Indies in the 19th Century

Juan Hernandez, who arrived in Cuba in 1833 6
Toribio Hernandez, who landed in Dominican Republic in 1834 6
Leonor Hernandez, who landed in Dominican Republic in 1836 6

Contemporary Notables of the name Hernández (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 8
Sandra Hernandez, American Democratic Party politician, Delegate to Democratic National Convention from California, 2004 8
Robert Hernandez, American Democratic Party politician, Alternate Delegate to Democratic National Convention from Colorado, 1980, 2000 8
Ricardo Hernandez, American Democratic Party politician, Delegate to Democratic National Convention from Arizona, 2004 8
Randal Hernandez, American Republican politician, Delegate to Republican National Convention from California, 2004 8
Ralph Hernandez, American politician, Candidate for Mayor of Antioch, California, 1992 8
... (Another 72 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Citations +

"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