2000
#125,639
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 126
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.05
Very Rare Last name
Ferentz
A surname derived from a Latinized form of a Hungarian place name.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 136 Americans carry the last name Ferentz. That puts it at #142,788 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,520,252 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Ferentz surname. You will find the Census Bureau frequency data, a multi-census history view, an ancestry and ethnicity breakdown based on self-reported demographics, the name's meaning and origin where available, and answers to the most common questions people ask about this surname.
Bearers in the US
136
1 in 2,520,252
Census rank
#142,788
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
119
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 119 bearers of the surname Ferentz in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 142788th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Ferentz, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.0%) and Black (1.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Ferentz
The surname Ferentz is of Hungarian origin, with roots dating back to the 15th century. It is believed to have originated in the region of Transylvania, which was part of the Kingdom of Hungary during that time period.
The name Ferentz is derived from the Hungarian personal name Ferenc, which is the Hungarian form of the name Francis. Ferenc is itself derived from the Latin name Franciscus, meaning "Frenchman" or "Frank."
One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname Ferentz can be found in a document from the town of Brasov (Kronstadt in German) in Transylvania, dated 1487. The document mentions a landowner named Ferentz Istvan.
In the 16th century, the surname appears in various Hungarian records and manuscripts, often associated with families from the noble class or landowners. For example, a 1532 document from the town of Szeged mentions a nobleman named Ferentz Mihaly.
During the 17th and 18th centuries, the name Ferentz spread across other regions of Hungary and the Austro-Hungarian Empire. Notable individuals with this surname include Ferentz Janos (1640-1708), a Hungarian military officer who fought against the Ottoman Empire, and Ferentz Istvan (1718-1786), a Hungarian artist and sculptor.
As the Austro-Hungarian Empire expanded, the surname Ferentz also found its way into other areas, such as present-day Romania and Slovakia. In the 19th century, a prominent figure with this name was Ferentz Karoly (1822-1891), a Hungarian politician and member of the Hungarian Parliament.
Another notable individual was Ferentz Zoltan (1876-1942), a Hungarian-born American engineer and inventor who played a significant role in the development of early television technology.
Throughout its history, the surname Ferentz has also been spelled in various ways, such as Ferencz, Ferentzi, and Ferentzy, reflecting regional variations and linguistic influences.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Ferentz
Among Census respondents with the surname Ferentz, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.0%) and Black (1.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Ferentz bearers 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 surname, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown for every Census year so the breakdown stays comparable over time. When the source file also includes raw headcounts, Name Census shows those alongside the percentages in the legend.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A person's surname does not determine their race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the Ferentz surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White92.4% · 110
- Hispanic or Latino5.0% · 6
- Black or African American1.7% · 2
- Two or more races0.8% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Ferentz
Ferentz appears in 3 published Census surname files: 2000, 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2010
#142,108
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 117
-9 bearers (-7.1%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 16,469 places
2020
#142,788
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 119
+2 bearers (+1.7%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 680 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #125,639 | 126 | 0.05 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #142,108 | 117 | 0.04 | -9 bearers (-7.1%) | Down 16,469 places |
| 2020 | #142,788 | 119 | 0.04 | +2 bearers (+1.7%) | Down 680 places |
For 2020, the Census Bureau published race and Hispanic-origin columns as counts rather than percentages. Name Census converts those counts back into shares so the ancestry section stays comparable with the older surname files.
Year on year
2010 vs 2020 Census
How has the Ferentz surname changed between Census years? The chart shows bearer count side by side, and the table compares rank, count, and frequency.
Census year comparison
20102020
| Metric | 2010 | 2020 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #142,108 | #142,788 | -0.5% |
| Count | 117 | 119 | 1.7% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -0.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Ferentz bearers went from 117 to 119 (+1.7% change). The surname moved down 680 positions in the national ranking, going from #142,108 to #142,788.
FAQ
Ferentz surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Ferentz?
Name Census estimates that about 136 living Americans carry the surname Ferentz. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,520,252 residents.
How common is Ferentz?
Ferentz ranks #142,788 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 119 people with the surname Ferentz. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (136), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.04 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Ferentz.
Has Ferentz become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Ferentz went from 117 recorded bearers to 119. That is an increase of 2 (+1.7%). In the national ranking it fell from #142,108 to #142,788.
What does the Census say about the background of Ferentz?
Among Census respondents with the surname Ferentz, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.0%) and Black (1.7%). These figures come from the 2020 Census Bureau surname tables, based on how respondents described their own race and ethnicity.
Which group reports this surname most often?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Ferentz in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.4% (110 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Ferentz appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (92.4%), Hispanic (5.0%), Black (1.7%). For 2020, the source file also published raw headcounts for each group, which is why this page can show both percentages and counts in the ancestry section.
Is this page using the latest Census data?
Yes. This page is using the latest surname file currently loaded on Name Census, which is 2020. The historical section above also keeps any older Census surname entries we have for Ferentz (2000, 2010, 2020).
Does the Census include every surname?
No. The Census Bureau only publishes surnames that appeared at least 100 times in a given decennial Census. That means very rare surnames are excluded entirely, and a surname can appear in one Census release but disappear from a later one if it falls below the reporting threshold.
Why don't the ancestry percentages always add up to exactly 100%?
There are two main reasons: rounding and suppression. The Census Bureau rounds published values, and it may suppress very small cells to protect privacy. For 2020, the Bureau also published raw group counts rather than direct percentages, so Name Census converts those counts back into shares for comparability across census years.
What does Ferentz mean?
A surname derived from a Latinized form of a Hungarian place name. The fuller origin note on this page goes into more detail.
Where does the surname data come from?
All surname statistics on Name Census are drawn from the US Census Bureau's decennial surname frequency tables. These files list every surname that appeared 100 or more times in the 2020 Census, along with a count, a per-100,000 rate, and a self-reported demographic breakdown. You can read the full explanation on our methodology page.
How does Name Census estimate living bearers?
For surnames, Name Census does not age cohorts the way it does for first names. Instead, it takes the Census Bureau's published frequency for Ferentz (0.04 per 100,000) and applies that rate to the current U.S. resident population to estimate how many living Americans have the surname today.
How many people have the surname Ferentz?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.