Ferdinando
A masculine given name of Germanic origin meaning "daring adventurer".
Name Census estimates that about 172 living Americans carry the first name Ferdinando. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Ferdinando today is around 50 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Ferdinando births was 1966 (13 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Ferdinando. 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.
People living today
172
~ 1 in 1,992,758 Americans
Peak year
1966
13 babies that year
Average age
50
years old
2017 SSA rank
#10,038
Tracked since 1912
Popularity
Ferdinando: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Ferdinando from the 1910s through to the 2010s, spanning 11 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1970s, with 67 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 1970s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Ferdinando 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 Ferdinando during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Ferdinandos live
Origin
Meaning and history of Ferdinando
The name Ferdinando has its origins in the Germanic languages, derived from the elements "fridu" meaning "peace" and "nanth" meaning "daring" or "brave". It emerged during the Middle Ages, initially as the Latinized form of the Germanic name Ferdinand.
One of the earliest recorded individuals with this name was Ferdinando I de' Medici, Grand Duke of Tuscany, who lived from 1549 to 1609. He was a significant patron of the arts and played a crucial role in the Renaissance cultural movement in Italy.
Another notable figure was Ferdinando II de' Medici, Grand Duke of Tuscany, who ruled from 1610 to 1670. He was a patron of the sciences and established the Accademia del Cimento, one of the earliest scientific societies.
In the 16th century, Ferdinando Alvarez de Toledo, Duke of Alba, was a renowned Spanish nobleman and military leader who played a significant role in the Dutch Revolt and the Eighty Years' War.
The name Ferdinando also gained prominence in the 19th century with Ferdinando di Borbone-Due Sicilie, a Neapolitan military leader and Prince of Bourbon-Two Sicilies, who lived from 1810 to 1859.
In the field of literature, Ferdinando Galiani, an Italian philosopher and economist who lived from 1728 to 1787, is remembered for his influential work "Della Moneta" (On Money).
Throughout history, the name Ferdinando has been associated with individuals from various walks of life, including royalty, military leaders, and intellectuals. Its enduring presence reflects the cultural and linguistic diversity of the regions where it has been used.
People
Ferdinando + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Ferdinando 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
Ferdinando: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Ferdinando?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 172 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Ferdinando 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 1,992,758 US residents.
Is Ferdinando a common name?
We classify Ferdinando as "Very Rare". It ranks above 72.2% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 303 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Ferdinando most popular?
The single biggest year for Ferdinando was 1966, when 13 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Ferdinando is about 50 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Ferdinando a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Ferdinando 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.
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.