Fernando History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
Portugal
Spain

Etymology of Fernando

What does the name Fernando mean?

The Fernando 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 Fernando 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 Fernando family

The surname Fernando was first found in Iberian peninsula. The name Fernando 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 Fernando family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Fernando 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 Fernando History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Fernando 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 Fernando 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 Fernando Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Fernando Ranking

In the United States, the name Fernando is the 9,243^rd most popular surname with an estimated 2,487 people with that name. 2 However, in Australia, the name Fernando is ranked the 767^th most popular surname with an estimated 5,067 people with that name. 3

Fernando migration to the United States +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Fernando Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

Anthony Fernando, aged 26, who landed in New York in 1642 4
Peter Fernando, who arrived in Maryland in 1666 4

Fernando Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Dulone T Fernando, who arrived in New Orleans, La in 1827 4
Jose Fernando, aged 28, who landed in New Orleans, La in 1832 4
R Fernando, aged 21, who arrived in Key West, Fla in 1837 4
Pascual Fernando, aged 19, who arrived in Puerto Rico in 1843 4
Alexandre Fernando, aged 18, who arrived in New Orleans, La in 1843 4
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Contemporary Notables of the name Fernando (post 1700) +

Raj Fernando, American Democratic Party politician, Delegate to Democratic National Convention from Illinois, 2008
M. E. Lionel Fernando (1936-2024), Sri Lankan civil servant and diplomat who held the offices of Secretary to the Ministry of Media, Tourism and Aviation, Secretary to the Foreign Ministry, Sri Lankan Ambassador to the Netherlands, Sri Lankan Ambassador to France, Governor of North Eastern Province
Bayani Flores Fernando (1946-2023), Filipino politician, businessman, and professional mechanical engineer who served as the representative for Marikina's 1st congressional district from 2016 to 2022
Pattiyage Robin Steven Fernando (1937-2022), popularly as Robin Fernando, a Sri Lankan cinema actor and stunt coordinator, considered as one of the best stunt directors in Sinhala cinema
Joseph Manuel Alexander Fernando (1940-2020), popularly known as Alexander Fernando a Sri Lankan film actor, and stunt director who acted in over 120 Sinhala films, six Tamil films and one English film
Nelson Fernando Acevedo (b. 1988), Argentine professional footballer
Orlando Fernando Chavarria (b. 1971), Belizean former cyclist who competed in the team time trial at the 1992 Summer Olympics
Yerry Fernando Mina González (b. 1994), Colombian professional footballer
José Fernando Cuadrado Romero (b. 1985), Colombian former professional footballer
Omar Fernando Jimenez (b. 1993), American journalist and correspondent

Sources +

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/
"Most Common Last Names in Australia." Forebears, https://forebears.io/australia/surnames
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)