2000
#4,230
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 7,759
First available Census row
Per 100,000 2.88
Rare Last name
Ferrari
An occupational surname referring to a metalworker, blacksmith, or one who shoes horses.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 9,138 Americans carry the last name Ferrari. That puts it at #4,311 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 2.67 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 37,509 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Ferrari 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 Ferrari with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
9.1K
1 in 37,509
Census rank
#4,311
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
2.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
8.0K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 7,969 bearers of the surname Ferrari in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 2.67 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 4311th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Ferrari, the largest self-reported group is White at 84.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (11.2%) and Two or More Races (2.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Ferrari
The surname Ferrari is of Italian origin, derived from the Italian word "ferraro," which means "blacksmith" or "ironworker." This occupational surname dates back to the medieval period, when it was first used to identify individuals who worked with iron and forged metal tools and implements.
The name Ferrari is believed to have originated in the northern regions of Italy, particularly in areas such as Emilia-Romagna, Lombardy, and Veneto, where the metalworking industry was prominent during the Middle Ages. The earliest known records of the surname Ferrari can be found in the Italian city-states of the 13th and 14th centuries.
One of the earliest documented references to the name Ferrari can be found in the records of the Republic of Genoa, where a certain Oberto Ferrari is mentioned in a document dated 1243. Another early record comes from the city of Modena, where a nobleman named Gherardo Ferrari is recorded in a legal document from 1285.
During the Renaissance period, the name Ferrari gained prominence in various parts of Italy. Notable individuals bearing this surname include the Ferrarese painter Biagio Ferrari, who lived in the 16th century, and the 17th-century Venetian architect and engineer Bartolomeo Ferrari.
In the 19th century, one of the most famous individuals with the surname Ferrari was the Italian composer and violinist Ermanno Ferrari-Cupilli (1828-1915), who was renowned for his operas and orchestral works.
Another noteworthy figure was Benedetto Ferrari (1597-1681), an Italian Jesuit scholar and mathematician who made significant contributions to the fields of geometry and calculus.
Toward the end of the 19th century, the name Ferrari became closely associated with the automotive industry. Enzo Ferrari (1898-1988), the founder of the iconic Italian sports car manufacturer Ferrari, was born in Modena and played a pivotal role in establishing the brand's reputation for performance and engineering excellence.
Throughout history, the surname Ferrari has been associated with various professions, ranging from metalworkers and artisans to scholars, engineers, and entrepreneurs, reflecting the diverse backgrounds and achievements of those who bear this name.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Ferrari
Among Census respondents with the surname Ferrari, the largest self-reported group is White at 84.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (11.2%) and Two or More Races (2.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Ferrari 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 Ferrari surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White84.7% · 6,751
- Hispanic or Latino11.2% · 894
- Two or more races2.0% · 163
- Black or African American1.2% · 93
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 58
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.1% · 10
Timeline
Historical Census data for Ferrari
Ferrari 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
#4,364
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 8,141
+382 bearers (+4.9%)
Per 100,000 2.76
Rank movement Down 134 places
2020
#4,311
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 7,969
-172 bearers (-2.1%)
Per 100,000 2.67
Rank movement Up 53 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #4,230 | 7,759 | 2.88 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #4,364 | 8,141 | 2.76 | +382 bearers (+4.9%) | Down 134 places |
| 2020 | #4,311 | 7,969 | 2.67 | -172 bearers (-2.1%) | Up 53 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 Ferrari 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 | #4,364 | #4,311 | 1.2% |
| Count | 8,141 | 7,969 | -2.1% |
| Per 100K | 2.76 | 2.67 | -3.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Ferrari bearers went from 8,141 to 7,969 (-2.1% change). The surname moved up 53 positions in the national ranking, going from #4,364 to #4,311.
FAQ
Ferrari surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Ferrari?
Name Census estimates that about 9,138 living Americans carry the surname Ferrari. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 37,509 residents.
How common is Ferrari?
Ferrari ranks #4,311 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 2.67 per 100,000 residents, which is about 3 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 7,969 people with the surname Ferrari. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (9,138), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 2.67 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 2.67 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 3 of them to have the surname Ferrari.
Has Ferrari become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Ferrari went from 8,141 recorded bearers to 7,969. That is a decrease of 172 (-2.1%). In the national ranking it rose from #4,364 to #4,311.
What does the Census say about the background of Ferrari?
Among Census respondents with the surname Ferrari, the largest self-reported group is White at 84.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (11.2%) and Two or More Races (2.0%). 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 Ferrari in the 2020 Census, accounting for 84.7% (6,751 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Ferrari appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (84.7%), Hispanic (11.2%), Two or More Races (2.0%). 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 Ferrari (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 Ferrari mean?
An occupational surname referring to a metalworker, blacksmith, or one who shoes horses. 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 Ferrari (2.67 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 last name Ferrari?
Our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers how many Americans have the surname Ferrari at a glance, with the living-bearer count up front.