2010
#156,044
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 104
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Ferkey
A locational surname derived from a town or village name.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 126 Americans carry the last name Ferkey. That puts it at #149,446 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,720,273 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Ferkey 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
126
1 in 2,720,273
Census rank
#149,446
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
110
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 110 bearers of the surname Ferkey in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 149446th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Ferkey, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.3%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (10.0%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (1.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Ferkey
The surname Ferkey has its origins in England and dates back to the 13th century. It is believed to have derived from the Old English word "feorr," meaning "far" or "distant," and "cy," which was a common suffix used to denote a location or place. Thus, the name likely referred to someone who lived or came from a distant or remote place.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Ferkey can be found in the Pipe Rolls of Gloucestershire, dated 1286, where a person named Robert Ferkey is mentioned. The Pipe Rolls were financial records maintained by the English Exchequer, which provides evidence of the name's existence during that period.
In the 14th century, the name appeared in various forms, such as Ferky, Fercie, and Ferkye, reflecting the variations in spelling common during that era. One notable bearer of the name was John Ferkey, a merchant from Bristol, who is mentioned in the city's records from 1372.
The Ferkey name was also present in the Subsidy Rolls of Worcestershire in 1327, where a William Ferkey is recorded. These rolls were tax records kept by the English government, indicating that the Ferkey family had established themselves in different parts of the country.
During the 16th century, the name Ferkey was associated with the village of Farquhar in Somerset. It is believed that some members of the Ferkey family may have originated from or resided in this area, leading to the association between the name and the place name.
Notable individuals with the surname Ferkey include:
1. Richard Ferkey (c. 1520 - 1589), a prominent landowner and member of the gentry in Warwickshire.
2. Margaret Ferkey (1654 - 1712), a renowned herbalist and healer known for her extensive knowledge of medicinal plants.
3. Thomas Ferkey (1725 - 1803), a skilled woodcarver whose works adorned several churches in Oxfordshire.
4. Elizabeth Ferkey (1782 - 1849), a philanthropist and founder of the Ferkey Orphanage in London.
5. William Ferkey (1835 - 1901), a respected scholar and linguist who contributed to the study of ancient languages.
While the surname Ferkey is not as common today as it once was, its roots can be traced back to medieval England, and it has been associated with various professions and notable individuals throughout history.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Ferkey
Among Census respondents with the surname Ferkey, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.3%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (10.0%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (1.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Ferkey 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 Ferkey surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White87.3% · 96
- Two or more races10.0% · 11
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.8% · 2
- Hispanic or Latino0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Ferkey
Ferkey appears in 2 published Census surname files: 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2020
#149,446
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 110
+6 bearers (+5.8%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 6,598 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #156,044 | 104 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #149,446 | 110 | 0.04 | +6 bearers (+5.8%) | Up 6,598 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 Ferkey 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 | #156,044 | #149,446 | 4.2% |
| Count | 104 | 110 | 5.8% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -8.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Ferkey bearers went from 104 to 110 (+5.8% change). The surname moved up 6,598 positions in the national ranking, going from #156,044 to #149,446.
FAQ
Ferkey surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Ferkey?
Name Census estimates that about 126 living Americans carry the surname Ferkey. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,720,273 residents.
How common is Ferkey?
Ferkey ranks #149,446 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 110 people with the surname Ferkey. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (126), 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 Ferkey.
Has Ferkey become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Ferkey went from 104 recorded bearers to 110. That is an increase of 6 (+5.8%). In the national ranking it rose from #156,044 to #149,446.
What does the Census say about the background of Ferkey?
Among Census respondents with the surname Ferkey, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.3%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (10.0%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (1.8%). 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 Ferkey in the 2020 Census, accounting for 87.3% (96 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Ferkey appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (87.3%), Two or More Races (10.0%), Asian/Pacific Islander (1.8%). 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 Ferkey (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 Ferkey mean?
A locational surname derived from a town or village 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 Ferkey (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 Ferkey?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.