Fermin
Of Spanish origin meaning "firm" or "steadfast".
Name Census estimates that about 3,809 living Americans carry the first name Fermin. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Fermin today is around 40 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Fermin births was 1993 (86 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Fermin. 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
3.8K
~ 1 in 89,985 Americans
Peak year
1993
86 babies that year
Average age
40
years old
2024 SSA rank
#3,711
Tracked since 1910
Census
Fermin in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 9,357 people with the first name Fermin, which placed it at #2,572 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
#2,572
National first-name rank
People counted
9.4K
9,357 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
3.1
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
Hispanic or Latino
95.3% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Fermin
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Fermin is Hispanic at 95.3%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (2.4%) and White (1.5%). 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 Fermin 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 Fermin at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Hispanic or Latino95.3% · 8,913
- Asian and Pacific Islander2.4% · 227
- White1.5% · 140
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.4% · 37
- Black or African American0.4% · 34
- Two or more races0.1% · 6
Popularity
Fermin: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Fermin from the 1910s through to the 2020s, spanning 12 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1990s, with 765 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 1990s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Fermin 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 Fermin during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Fermins live
The SSA's state-level files cover 10 states and territories. Texas, California, New Mexico recorded the most babies named Fermin, while Washington, Colorado, North Carolina recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 311 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Fermin
The name Fermin has its origins in the Latin language and can be traced back to ancient Rome. It is derived from the Latin word "firmus," which means "firm" or "steadfast." This name was likely given to individuals who were perceived as strong, resolute, or unwavering in their convictions.
During the Roman era, the name Fermin was relatively uncommon, but it did appear in various historical records and inscriptions. One of the earliest documented instances of the name can be found in the writings of the Roman historian Tacitus, who mentioned a soldier named Fermin in his accounts of the Roman campaigns in Germania.
As Christianity spread throughout the Roman Empire, the name Fermin gained popularity among early Christian communities. It was particularly common in regions where Latin was the predominant language, such as parts of Italy, Spain, and France. In the Middle Ages, several notable figures bore the name Fermin, including Saint Fermin, the first bishop of Pamplona, Spain, who lived in the 3rd century AD.
Another prominent individual named Fermin was Fermin Caballero (1800-1876), a Spanish writer, historian, and politician who served as the Minister of Public Works in Spain during the 19th century. He was known for his contributions to the development of infrastructure and transportation in the country.
In the realm of arts and literature, Fermin Toro (1807-1885) was a Venezuelan poet and writer who played a significant role in the literary movement known as the "Costumbrista" movement, which aimed to depict the customs and traditions of Venezuelan society.
Fermin Muguruza (1963-2012) was a Spanish musician and singer-songwriter, renowned for being the founding member and lead vocalist of the influential Basque rock band Kortatu. He was an influential figure in the Basque cultural scene and helped popularize the use of the Basque language in music.
Fermin Cañedo (1951-2017) was a Mexican actor and comedian, widely recognized for his comedic roles in various Mexican films and television shows. He was known for his ability to portray a wide range of comedic characters and contributed significantly to the Mexican entertainment industry.
People
Fermin + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Fermin 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
Fermin: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Fermin?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 3,809 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Fermin 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 89,985 US residents.
Is Fermin a common name?
We classify Fermin as "Rare". It ranks above 95.9% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 4,804 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Fermin most popular?
The single biggest year for Fermin was 1993, when 86 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Fermin is about 40 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Fermin in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 9,357 people with the name Fermin, or 3.10 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #2,572 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 Fermin 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 Fermin?
In the 2020 Census sex table, Fermin appears almost entirely male. Of the 9,361 people counted with this name, 99.6% were male and only a very small share were female. 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 Fermin?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Fermin is Hispanic at 95.3%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (2.4%) and White (1.5%). 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 Fermin most often in the Census?
Hispanic is the largest reported group for people named Fermin in the 2020 Census, accounting for 95.3% (8,913 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 Fermin in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Fermin a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Fermin 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 Fermin still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Fermin 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 Fermin 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 share the name Fermin?
Find out how many Americans are named Fermin on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.