Ferd
A diminutive, masculine name from the Germanic pet name Ferdinandus.
Name Census estimates that about 112 living Americans carry the first name Ferd. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Ferd today is around 82 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Ferd births was 1919 (24 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Ferd. Below you will find a gender breakdown showing how the name splits between male and female registrations, a year-by-year popularity chart stretching back to 1880, decade-level totals, the top US states for this name, its meaning and etymology, and a set of frequently asked questions with data-backed answers.
Key insights
- • The typical person named Ferd is about 82 years old today, placing it firmly among the names of earlier generations. Most living Ferds were born before 1954.
People living today
112
~ 1 in 3,060,307 Americans
Peak year
1919
24 babies that year
Average age
82
years old
1965 SSA rank
#4,089
Tracked since 1880
Census
Ferd in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 186 people with the first name Ferd, which placed it at #40,168 in the published first-name tables. This is a snapshot of people who already had the name at the time of the Census.
The SSA sections elsewhere on this page answer a different question: how often parents gave the name to babies over time. The "people living today" figure on this page is different again: it is a current estimate built from SSA birth records and age-based survival rates, so the two numbers are not expected to match exactly.
2020 Census rank
#40,168
National first-name rank
People counted
186
186 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
0.1
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
White
78.0% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Ferd
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Ferd is White at 78.0%. The next largest groups are Black (11.3%) and Hispanic (4.8%). These figures describe the people who had the name in 2020, not any inherent property of the name itself.
The bar chart below shows how people with the first name Ferd described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given name, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown so the breakdown is easy to read across every published category. Because the 2020 Census first-name file also includes raw headcounts for each group, Name Census can show those alongside the percentages in the legend and hover tooltip.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A first name does not determine a person's race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the name Ferd at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White78.0% · 145
- Black or African American11.3% · 21
- Hispanic or Latino4.8% · 9
- Asian and Pacific Islander4.8% · 9
- Two or more races1.1% · 2
Popularity
Ferd: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Ferd from the 1880s through to the 1960s, spanning 9 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1920s, with 151 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 1920s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Ferd by decade
The table below breaks the full SSA timeline into ten-year windows. Each row shows how many male and female babies were given the name Ferd during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Origin
Meaning and history of Ferd
The given name Ferd has its origins in the Germanic languages, derived from the Old High German word "fridu" which means "peace." This name emerged during the medieval period in Central Europe, where it was commonly used among German-speaking populations.
In its earliest recorded instances, Ferd was often spelled as "Fridu" or "Frid," closely resembling its Old High German roots. As the name spread across different regions and languages, variations in spelling and pronunciation began to emerge, leading to the modern form of "Ferd."
One of the earliest notable references to the name Ferd can be found in the Nibelungenlied, a renowned German epic poem dating back to the 13th century. In this work, a character named Ferd is mentioned as a brave warrior, suggesting the name's association with strength and valor.
Throughout history, several individuals bearing the name Ferd have left their mark across various fields. One prominent figure was Ferd Haupt (1832-1892), a renowned German philologist and classical scholar who made significant contributions to the study of Greek and Latin texts.
Another notable Ferd was Ferd Kürnberger (1821-1879), an Austrian writer and satirist known for his sharp wit and social commentary. His works played a vital role in shaping the literary landscape of 19th-century Austria.
In the realm of music, Ferd Löwe (1901-1988) was a German composer and pianist whose compositions spanned various genres, including film scores and orchestral works. His contributions to German classical music earned him widespread recognition.
The name Ferd also found its way into the world of art, with Ferd Hodler (1853-1918) being one of the most celebrated Swiss painters of the late 19th and early 20th centuries. His distinctive style, characterized by bold colors and stylized figures, influenced numerous artists of his time.
Lastly, Ferd Piëch (1937-2019) was a prominent German engineer and businessman who played a pivotal role in the automotive industry. As the former chairman of Volkswagen Group, he oversaw the development of numerous groundbreaking vehicles and helped shape the company's global success.
While these are just a few examples, the name Ferd has been carried by individuals across various cultures and eras, leaving an indelible mark on history through their achievements and contributions.
People
Ferd + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Ferd as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with F
Other first names starting with F with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Ferd: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Ferd?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 112 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Ferd going back to 1880 and adjusting each cohort for expected survival using CDC actuarial life tables. The result is an age-weighted living-bearer count, not a raw birth total. That works out to about 1 in 3,060,307 US residents.
Is Ferd a common name?
We classify Ferd as "Very Rare". It ranks above 66.2% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 689 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Ferd most popular?
The single biggest year for Ferd was 1919, when 24 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Ferd is about 82 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Ferd in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 186 people with the name Ferd, or 0.06 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #40,168 in the national Census ranking for first names.
Why is the Census count different from the living estimate?
Because they measure different things. The Census figure is a count of people who had the name Ferd in 2020. The living estimate aims to answer a current question instead: how many people with the name are alive today, based on SSA birth records and age-based survival rates. Since one number is a 2020 snapshot and the other is a present-day estimate, they are not expected to be identical.
What does the Census say about the gender split for Ferd?
In the 2020 Census sex table, Ferd leans strongly male. 182 people counted with this name were male (98.4%), compared with 3 female bearers (1.6%). The Census view is a snapshot of people living with the name in 2020, while the SSA section above tracks births across time.
What does the Census say about the background of people named Ferd?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Ferd is White at 78.0%. The next largest groups are Black (11.3%) and Hispanic (4.8%). These figures describe the people who had the name in 2020, not any inherent property of the name itself. The percentages in the chart above come from self-reported race and Hispanic-origin responses in the 2020 Census.
Which group reports the name Ferd most often in the Census?
White is the largest reported group for people named Ferd in the 2020 Census, accounting for 78.0% (145 people in the published table).
Why can the Census sex total and race total differ slightly?
The Census Bureau published separate 2020 tables for sex and for race/Hispanic origin, and the released figures can differ slightly because of privacy protection in the public files. That is why this page treats the gender section and the race/origin section as two related snapshots instead of forcing them into one identical total.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only includes names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files have no Census demographic snapshot. When that happens, the SSA trend, gender history, and state sections still appear, but the 2020 Census demographic sections are omitted.
What does the SSA popularity chart show?
The chart tracks births, not the number of people alive with the name today. Each point shows how many babies were given the name Ferd in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Ferd a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Ferd in the SSA data are male. You can see the full per-sex comparison in the gender distribution section above, which includes the latest year rank, birth count, and peak year for each sex.
Is Ferd still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Ferd in 2024, and the page above shows its latest-year rank where available. A name can be well past its peak and still remain in steady use, especially if it built up a large population over earlier decades.
Why can a name have a lot of living bearers even if it is not trendy now?
Because living-bearer counts and current baby-name popularity measure different things. A name like Ferd can build up a very large population over many decades, even if fewer parents are choosing it now than they did at its peak.
Where does this data come from?
First-name figures come from the Social Security Administration's national baby name files, which cover every name on a birth certificate from 1880 to 2024. Living-bearer estimates layer in CDC actuarial life tables broken out by sex to account for mortality. The population baseline (342,754,338) is the Census Bureau's latest national estimate. You can read the full calculation on our methodology page.
How many people have Ferd as a first name?
For a quick modern take, check how many Americans are named Ferd on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org.