2000
#13,971
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,982
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.73
Rare Last name
Ferland
A French topographic surname referring to someone living near uncultivated land or near a heath or moor.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,077 Americans carry the last name Ferland. That puts it at #15,545 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.61 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 165,024 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Ferland 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
2.1K
1 in 165,024
Census rank
#15,545
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.6
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
1.8K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 1,811 bearers of the surname Ferland in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.61 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 15545th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Ferland, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.9%) and Two or More Races (2.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Ferland
The surname Ferland originated in France, with its earliest known bearers living in the region of Normandy during the 12th century. It is derived from the Old French word "ferrant," meaning "blacksmith," which suggests that the name was initially an occupational surname for someone who worked as a blacksmith or ironworker.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the Ferland name can be found in the Rotuli Hundredorum, a census-like record compiled in England in the 13th century. This document mentions a Robert Ferland, who was likely of Norman descent and lived in the county of Hampshire.
During the Middle Ages, the Ferland name was also prominent in the Domesday Book, a comprehensive survey of landowners and tenants commissioned by William the Conqueror in 1086. Several individuals with the surname Ferland were listed as landowners or tenants in various parts of England, suggesting that the name had already established itself in the country by the 11th century.
As with many surnames, the spelling of Ferland has undergone variations over time. Some of the earliest known spellings include Ferland, Ferlaund, and Ferlond. These variations likely arose due to regional dialects, scribal errors, and the lack of standardized spelling conventions in earlier periods.
One notable individual with the Ferland surname was Jean-Baptiste Ferland (1805-1865), a Canadian historian and priest. He is considered one of the pioneers of Canadian historiography and is best known for his two-volume work "Cours d'Histoire du Canada," published in 1861.
Another prominent figure with the Ferland name was Edmond Ferland (1875-1945), a Canadian lawyer and politician. He served as a member of the House of Commons of Canada, representing the electoral district of Châteauguay-Huntingdon from 1925 to 1935.
In the artistic realm, Jacques Ferland (1923-1986) was a renowned Canadian painter and sculptor. His works, which often depicted abstract landscapes and urban scenes, can be found in numerous art galleries and museums across Canada.
Furthermore, the Ferland name has been associated with several historical figures in France, such as Nicolas Ferland (1588-1658), a French mathematician and astronomer who worked at the College of Navarre in Paris.
Throughout history, the Ferland surname has also been carried by individuals in various other fields, including literature, politics, and military service, further contributing to its rich heritage and cultural significance.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Ferland
Among Census respondents with the surname Ferland, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.9%) and Two or More Races (2.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Ferland 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 Ferland surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White92.4% · 1,673
- Hispanic or Latino3.9% · 70
- Two or more races2.7% · 48
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.5% · 9
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.3% · 6
- Black or African American0.3% · 5
Timeline
Historical Census data for Ferland
Ferland 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
#13,376
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,277
+295 bearers (+14.9%)
Per 100,000 0.77
Rank movement Up 595 places
2020
#15,545
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,811
-466 bearers (-20.5%)
Per 100,000 0.61
Rank movement Down 2,169 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #13,971 | 1,982 | 0.73 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #13,376 | 2,277 | 0.77 | +295 bearers (+14.9%) | Up 595 places |
| 2020 | #15,545 | 1,811 | 0.61 | -466 bearers (-20.5%) | Down 2,169 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 Ferland 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 | #13,376 | #15,545 | -16.2% |
| Count | 2,277 | 1,811 | -20.5% |
| Per 100K | 0.77 | 0.61 | -21.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Ferland bearers went from 2,277 to 1,811 (-20.5% change). The surname moved down 2,169 positions in the national ranking, going from #13,376 to #15,545.
FAQ
Ferland surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Ferland?
Name Census estimates that about 2,077 living Americans carry the surname Ferland. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 165,024 residents.
How common is Ferland?
Ferland ranks #15,545 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 1,811 people with the surname Ferland. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,077), 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 Ferland.
Has Ferland become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Ferland went from 2,277 recorded bearers to 1,811. That is a decrease of 466 (-20.5%). In the national ranking it fell from #13,376 to #15,545.
What does the Census say about the background of Ferland?
Among Census respondents with the surname Ferland, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.9%) and Two or More Races (2.7%). 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 Ferland in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.4% (1,673 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Ferland appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (92.4%), Hispanic (3.9%), Two or More Races (2.7%). 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 Ferland (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 Ferland mean?
A French topographic surname referring to someone living near uncultivated land or near a heath or moor. 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 Ferland (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 share the surname Ferland?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.