Hernández
A classic Spanish patronymic surname meaning “son of Hernando” or “son of Fernando.”
The #11 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 296 Americans shares it.
Etymology
Hernández is a Spanish patronymic surname built with the old surname ending -ez, meaning “son of.” The base name is Hernando, a Spanish form of Fernando, ultimately from a Germanic personal name. In plain terms, the surname originally meant “descendant of Fernando/Hernando.”
History
It became common in Spain through the medieval patronymic system, and later spread widely across the Spanish-speaking world through colonization and migration. Today it is among the most common surnames in the Americas, especially in Mexico, the Caribbean, Central America, and the United States.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
The accent mark in Hernández is standard in Spanish, but in English-language records it is often omitted, which is why Hernandez is so common in US documents.
From the historical record
“Juan B Martinez Luis A. Leiva Cárlos R Valencia Antonio Acuña José M. Hernandez M. Antonio Acuña Luis Lacoste José del C. Escalante Juan Soza Ernesto Mondaca Petronila Olivares de R. Rómulo Canales D. V. Rosa Mondaca”
— Diccionario de los apellidos