2000
#11,362
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,546
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.94
Rare Last name
Ferrera
A surname of Italian origin, likely referring to someone from Ferrara, Italy or an iron worker.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 3,722 Americans carry the last name Ferrera. That puts it at #9,578 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.09 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 92,089 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Ferrera 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
3.7K
1 in 92,089
Census rank
#9,578
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
3.2K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 3,246 bearers of the surname Ferrera in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.09 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 9578th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Ferrera, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 54.5%. The next largest groups are White (39.5%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (2.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of 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.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Ferrera
Among Census respondents with the surname Ferrera, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 54.5%. The next largest groups are White (39.5%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (2.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Ferrera 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 Ferrera surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Hispanic or Latino54.5% · 1,768
- White39.5% · 1,283
- Asian and Pacific Islander2.9% · 95
- Two or more races1.6% · 52
- Black or African American1.4% · 44
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.1% · 4
Timeline
Historical Census data for Ferrera
Ferrera 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
#10,287
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,133
+587 bearers (+23.1%)
Per 100,000 1.06
Rank movement Up 1,075 places
2020
#9,578
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,246
+113 bearers (+3.6%)
Per 100,000 1.09
Rank movement Up 709 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #11,362 | 2,546 | 0.94 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #10,287 | 3,133 | 1.06 | +587 bearers (+23.1%) | Up 1,075 places |
| 2020 | #9,578 | 3,246 | 1.09 | +113 bearers (+3.6%) | Up 709 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 Ferrera 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 | #10,287 | #9,578 | 6.9% |
| Count | 3,133 | 3,246 | 3.6% |
| Per 100K | 1.06 | 1.09 | 2.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Ferrera bearers went from 3,133 to 3,246 (+3.6% change). The surname moved up 709 positions in the national ranking, going from #10,287 to #9,578.
FAQ
Ferrera surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Ferrera?
Name Census estimates that about 3,722 living Americans carry the surname Ferrera. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 92,089 residents.
How common is Ferrera?
Ferrera ranks #9,578 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.09 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 3,246 people with the surname Ferrera. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (3,722), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.09 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.09 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 Ferrera.
Has Ferrera become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Ferrera went from 3,133 recorded bearers to 3,246. That is an increase of 113 (+3.6%). In the national ranking it rose from #10,287 to #9,578.
What does the Census say about the background of Ferrera?
Among Census respondents with the surname Ferrera, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 54.5%. The next largest groups are White (39.5%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (2.9%). 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?
Hispanic is the largest self-reported group for the surname Ferrera in the 2020 Census, accounting for 54.5% (1,768 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Ferrera appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Hispanic (54.5%), White (39.5%), Asian/Pacific Islander (2.9%). 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 Ferrera (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 Ferrera mean?
A surname of Italian origin, likely referring to someone from Ferrara, Italy or an iron worker. 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 Ferrera (1.09 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 Ferrera?
Want to know how many people have the surname Ferrera? HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, puts the living-bearer count front and centre.