Skip to main content

Updated March 6, 2024

Table of contents

Family name origins & meanings

  • Spanish (Hernández) and Jewish (Sephardic) : patronymic from the personal name Hernando (see Fernando). This surname also became established in southern Italy, mainly in Naples and Palermo, since the period of Spanish dominance there, and as a result of the expulsion of the Jews from Spain and Portugal at the end of the 15th century, many of whom moved to Italy.

Subscribe to Family Education

Your partner in parenting from baby name inspiration to college planning.

Subscribe