OTTO HERNANDEZ

Originally a short form of any of the various Germanic compound personal names containing the element od, ot ‘prosperity, wealth’ (compare the corresponding Old English ēad in names such as Edward and Edwin). St Otto of Bamberg (d. 1139) was a missionary to the Pomeranians. Otto the Great (912–73) is generally regarded as the founder of the Holy Roman Empire, and the name has been borne by several members of German and Austrian royal houses. It was recorded occasionally among immigrants to England from the Low Countries in the 14th century, but failed to establish itself. Since the 19th century it has again been used occasionally in the English-speaking world, mostly among immigrants from Germanic countries.

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.