Bermúdez
A Spanish patronymic surname meaning “son of Bermudo,” with a Germanic personal name at its root.
The #1,316 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 11,567 Americans shares it.
Etymology
Bermúdez is a Spanish patronymic surname built from the old personal name Bermudo plus the patronymic ending -ez, meaning “son of.” The cited source connects Bermudo with an older Germanic compound name, glossed there as something like “warrior-protector.” In practice, the surname means “descendant of Bermudo.”
History
The name is especially associated with the Iberian world, where patronymic surnames of this type became fixed hereditary surnames over time. It is found in Spain and throughout Latin America, carried by families of Spanish origin. The medieval personal-name forms behind it appear in old chronicles in several spellings.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
The accent mark in Bermúdez shows the stress falls on the second syllable, which is typical in Spanish pronunciation of this surname.
From the historical record
“lio, Belengario, Bellengero. Bermudez {Bermund , guerrero protector). Beremundus y Bermudus , indistintamente en el cronicón de Sampiro. Virjnundiis , Mermundus, Verniondo, Vermonde, Bcrnuind, Bernmd, Vere- munt, Beremutus, Beremudus, Veremud, Vermu- tus , Bermudo, Bremundo, Bremond, Bremon,”
— Ensayo histórico etimológico filológico sobre los apellidos castellanos