Find out how popular the last name Ferrera is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Ferrera.

Ferrera, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Ferrera surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Ferrera in America

Ferrera is the 10287th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Ferrera surname appeared 3,133 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 1 people would have the surname Ferrera.

We can also compare 2010 data for Ferrera to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name Ferrera

The surname Ferrera has its roots in Spain, originating in the region of Catalonia during the medieval period. It is believed to be derived from the Latin word "ferrarius," which means "ironworker" or "blacksmith," indicating that the original bearers of this surname may have been involved in metalworking or iron-related trades.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the Ferrera surname can be found in the Catalonian city of Barcelona, where it appears in documents dating back to the 13th century. The name was also present in other parts of Spain, such as Valencia and Aragon, where it was sometimes spelled as "Ferrer" or "Ferreres."

During the 15th century, the Ferrera surname gained prominence in Italy, particularly in the regions of Piedmont and Lombardy. This was likely due to the migration of Catalan and Spanish individuals to these areas, where they established themselves and contributed to the local culture and economy.

One notable individual bearing the Ferrera surname was Giovan Battista Ferrera, a Italian painter active in the late 16th and early 17th centuries. He was renowned for his religious works and frescoes, which can still be found in churches throughout Italy.

In the 17th century, the Ferrera name made its way to the Americas, carried by Spanish and Italian settlers who ventured to the New World. One such individual was Juan de Ferrera, a Spanish explorer who accompanied Hernando de Soto on his expeditions through Florida and the southern United States in the early 1540s.

Another significant figure was Bartolomé Ferrera, a Spanish naval officer and explorer who was instrumental in the colonization of Puerto Rico in the late 16th century. He served as the first governor of the island and played a crucial role in establishing Spanish settlements there.

In more recent times, the Ferrera surname has been associated with several notable individuals, including Raimundo Ferrera, a Cuban baseball player who played in the Negro Leagues during the 1920s and 1930s, and Manuel Ferrera, a Mexican artist known for his vibrant murals and paintings depicting indigenous Mexican culture.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Ferrera

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Ferrera.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Ferrera was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Ferrera has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Ferrera was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Ferrera, please contact us.

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