Fontanez
A Spanish-language surname most likely tied to a place-name or to a family name built from Latin fountain imagery.
The #8,222 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 76,498 Americans shares it.
Etymology
Fontanez is most likely a Hispanic surname connected to the word family around Spanish fontana / fuente, meaning a spring or fountain, ultimately from Latin fontana. In surnames, this kind of root often points to someone who lived near a notable spring, or to a place-name derived from such a feature. The final -ez shape in Spanish surnames usually suggests a patronymic pattern, but in this case the name is not a standard, straightforward patronymic like García or Rodríguez, so the exact formation is uncertain.
History
The surname is found in Spanish-speaking communities, especially in the Caribbean and the United States. In practice, Fontanez is often treated as a Hispanic family name with local or regional roots, and its spelling may reflect long-standing surname variation in Puerto Rican and other Caribbean records. Because the form is relatively uncommon, its deeper origin is harder to pin down with confidence than major Spanish surnames.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
Names from the font-/fountain word family are common across Romance languages, which is why related surnames and place-names appear in several different spellings.