2000
#10,472
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,813
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.04
Rare Last name
Ferree
French occupational surname for an ironworker or smith, derived from the Old French word "ferrier" meaning "blacksmith."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 3,008 Americans carry the last name Ferree. That puts it at #11,484 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.88 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 113,948 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Ferree 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
3.0K
1 in 113,948
Census rank
#11,484
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.9
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.6K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,623 bearers of the surname Ferree in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.88 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 11484th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Ferree, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.0%) and Two or More Races (3.3%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Ferree
The surname Ferree is of French origin, derived from the Old French word "ferriere" or "ferriere," which means "ironworks" or "iron mine." It is believed to have originated in the Normandy region of France during the Middle Ages, where many of the earliest recorded bearers of the name were likely involved in the iron industry.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the Ferree surname can be found in the Domesday Book, a comprehensive record of landholders in England commissioned by William the Conqueror in 1086. The name appears as "Ferrer," which was a common Norman variation of the name at the time.
During the 12th and 13th centuries, the Ferree name began to spread across Europe, with bearers of the name settling in various regions, including the Low Countries, Germany, and England. In these regions, the name often took on slightly different spellings, such as "Ferrier," "Ferrieres," and "Ferrees."
One notable individual with the Ferree surname was Jean Ferree (1505-1570), a French Protestant theologian and reformer who played a significant role in the Protestant Reformation in France. Another was Marie Ferree (1630-1698), a French Huguenot who fled religious persecution in France and settled in the American colonies, becoming one of the earliest Ferree settlers in North America.
In the United States, the Ferree surname has been present since the early colonial era. One of the earliest recorded instances is that of Daniel Ferree (1650-1737), a French Huguenot who immigrated to Pennsylvania in the late 17th century and established a settlement known as Ferree's Manor.
Another notable figure was Benjamin Ferree (1789-1858), an American architect and civil engineer who designed several important buildings in Philadelphia, including the Second Bank of the United States and the Philadelphia Exchange.
Throughout history, the Ferree surname has been associated with various place names, particularly in France, where towns and villages such as Ferrières and Ferrières-la-Verrerie bear the name's influence. Additionally, the name has been linked to the iron industry, with many early bearers likely involved in mining, smelting, or working with iron in some capacity.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Ferree
Among Census respondents with the surname Ferree, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.0%) and Two or More Races (3.3%).
The bar chart below shows how Ferree 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 Ferree surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White89.8% · 2,356
- Hispanic or Latino4.0% · 105
- Two or more races3.3% · 87
- Black or African American2.1% · 54
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.4% · 11
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.4% · 10
Timeline
Historical Census data for Ferree
Ferree 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
#10,649
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,004
+191 bearers (+6.8%)
Per 100,000 1.02
Rank movement Down 177 places
2020
#11,484
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,623
-381 bearers (-12.7%)
Per 100,000 0.88
Rank movement Down 835 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #10,472 | 2,813 | 1.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #10,649 | 3,004 | 1.02 | +191 bearers (+6.8%) | Down 177 places |
| 2020 | #11,484 | 2,623 | 0.88 | -381 bearers (-12.7%) | Down 835 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 Ferree 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 | #10,649 | #11,484 | -7.8% |
| Count | 3,004 | 2,623 | -12.7% |
| Per 100K | 1.02 | 0.88 | -14.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Ferree bearers went from 3,004 to 2,623 (-12.7% change). The surname moved down 835 positions in the national ranking, going from #10,649 to #11,484.
FAQ
Ferree surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Ferree?
Name Census estimates that about 3,008 living Americans carry the surname Ferree. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 113,948 residents.
How common is Ferree?
Ferree ranks #11,484 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.88 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 2,623 people with the surname Ferree. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (3,008), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.88 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.88 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 Ferree.
Has Ferree become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Ferree went from 3,004 recorded bearers to 2,623. That is a decrease of 381 (-12.7%). In the national ranking it fell from #10,649 to #11,484.
What does the Census say about the background of Ferree?
Among Census respondents with the surname Ferree, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.0%) and Two or More Races (3.3%). 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 Ferree in the 2020 Census, accounting for 89.8% (2,356 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Ferree appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (89.8%), Hispanic (4.0%), Two or More Races (3.3%). 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 Ferree (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 Ferree mean?
French occupational surname for an ironworker or smith, derived from the Old French word "ferrier" meaning "blacksmith." 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 Ferree (0.88 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 are called Ferree?
Find out how many Americans have the surname Ferree on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.