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FERNANDES Family History

This recorded in some twenty different spellings ranging from Ferdinand, Fernandez and Ferrandiz, to Hernan, Hernando and Hernandez, is of pre 5th century German and later Spanish origin. It derives from a Visigoth tribal personal name, composed of the elements "frith", meaning peace with "nanth", meaning daring or brave. The Vizigoths from Eastern Germany conquered Spain in the 6th century, and as a result many Spanish surnames are of Germanic origin. In this case the given name as Ferdinand was introduced into most parts of Europe from the 15th Century, being taken to Austria for instance by the Hapsburg dynasty, among whom it was a hereditary name.