2000
#14,813
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,837
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.68
Rare Last name
Fergus
A Scottish surname derived from the Gaelic name "Fearghas" meaning "man of force" or "virile".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,088 Americans carry the last name Fergus. That puts it at #15,493 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.61 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 164,154 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Fergus 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.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Fergus with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
2.1K
1 in 164,154
Census rank
#15,493
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.6
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
1.8K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 1,821 bearers of the surname Fergus in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.61 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 15493rd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Fergus, the largest self-reported group is White at 77.9%. The next largest groups are Black (12.3%) and Hispanic (4.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Fergus
The surname Fergus originated in Scotland. It is derived from the Gaelic name Fearghas, which means "man of force" or "virile". The name can be traced back to the 5th century AD and is believed to have originated in the Scottish Highlands.
The earliest recorded instance of the name Fergus dates back to the 12th century. It appears in the Book of Deer, an illuminated manuscript that contains the oldest surviving Gaelic writing from Scotland. The manuscript mentions a man named Fergus, who was a cleric in the monastery of Deer in Aberdeenshire.
In the 13th century, the name Fergus appeared in the Ragman Rolls, a series of historical documents that recorded the submission of Scottish nobles to King Edward I of England. One of the signatories was a certain Fergus de Ardrossan, a landholder from Ayrshire.
The Fergus surname has also been linked to several notable figures throughout history. One of the most famous was Fergus Mor MacErc, a legendary king of Dál Riata who is said to have lived in the 6th century AD. According to tradition, he was the first king of Scottish descent to rule in Scotland.
Another notable Fergus was Fergus of Galloway, a 12th-century prince who ruled over the region of Galloway in southwestern Scotland. He is mentioned in various historical chronicles and is known for his involvement in the political struggles of the time.
In the 15th century, a man named Fergus MacDowall was the chief of the Clan MacDougall, a prominent Scottish clan based in Argyll. He played a significant role in the Wars of Scottish Independence against the English.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the Fergus surname in North America dates back to the 18th century. In 1773, a man named John Fergus emigrated from Scotland to Virginia, where he became a prominent landowner and civic leader.
The Fergus surname has also been associated with several place names in Scotland. The town of Ferguslie in Renfrewshire is believed to have been named after a person named Fergus, while the village of Fergushill in Ayrshire may have a similar origin.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Fergus
Among Census respondents with the surname Fergus, the largest self-reported group is White at 77.9%. The next largest groups are Black (12.3%) and Hispanic (4.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Fergus 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 Fergus surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White77.9% · 1,418
- Black or African American12.3% · 224
- Hispanic or Latino4.8% · 88
- Two or more races3.7% · 68
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.2% · 21
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.1% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Fergus
Fergus 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
#15,758
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,850
+13 bearers (+0.7%)
Per 100,000 0.63
Rank movement Down 945 places
2020
#15,493
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,821
-29 bearers (-1.6%)
Per 100,000 0.61
Rank movement Up 265 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #14,813 | 1,837 | 0.68 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #15,758 | 1,850 | 0.63 | +13 bearers (+0.7%) | Down 945 places |
| 2020 | #15,493 | 1,821 | 0.61 | -29 bearers (-1.6%) | Up 265 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 Fergus 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 | #15,758 | #15,493 | 1.7% |
| Count | 1,850 | 1,821 | -1.6% |
| Per 100K | 0.63 | 0.61 | -3.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Fergus bearers went from 1,850 to 1,821 (-1.6% change). The surname moved up 265 positions in the national ranking, going from #15,758 to #15,493.
FAQ
Fergus surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Fergus?
Name Census estimates that about 2,088 living Americans carry the surname Fergus. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 164,154 residents.
How common is Fergus?
Fergus ranks #15,493 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.61 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 1,821 people with the surname Fergus. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,088), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.61 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.61 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Fergus.
Has Fergus become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Fergus went from 1,850 recorded bearers to 1,821. That is a decrease of 29 (-1.6%). In the national ranking it rose from #15,758 to #15,493.
What does the Census say about the background of Fergus?
Among Census respondents with the surname Fergus, the largest self-reported group is White at 77.9%. The next largest groups are Black (12.3%) and Hispanic (4.8%). 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 Fergus in the 2020 Census, accounting for 77.9% (1,418 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Fergus appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (77.9%), Black (12.3%), Hispanic (4.8%). 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 Fergus (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 Fergus mean?
A Scottish surname derived from the Gaelic name "Fearghas" meaning "man of force" or "virile". 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 Fergus (0.61 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 Fergus?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.