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

Ferret, 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 Ferret surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Ferret in America

Ferret is the 140157th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Ferret surname appeared 119 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 people would have the surname Ferret.

We can also compare 2010 data for Ferret 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 Ferret

The surname Ferret originates from England and dates back to the late 12th century. It is derived from the Old French word 'feret', which means a small iron rod or ferrule used in lancing. The name likely referred to an iron maker, someone who worked with iron tools, or possibly a nickname for a slender person.

Records show the earliest known bearer of the name was Willelmus Feret, mentioned in the Pipe Rolls of Yorkshire in 1193. Over time, the spelling evolved to Ferret, Ferrett, and Ferrott. Similar surnames like Ferrier and Feron also emerged from the same root word.

In the Hundred Rolls of 1273, a John Feret is recorded as living in Oxfordshire. The Ferret name also appears in various tax and census records from the 13th to 15th centuries in counties like Somerset, Wiltshire, and Gloucestershire.

One notable early bearer of the name was Sir William Ferret (c.1360-1438), a Member of Parliament for Shropshire during the reign of Henry VI. Another was John Ferret (c.1480-1551), a Catholic martyr executed for his faith during the English Reformation under Edward VI.

Moving into the 16th century, we find records of a Tobias Ferret (c.1520-1590), a merchant and alderman in the city of Bristol. In the 17th century, there was a puritan minister named Samuel Ferret (1600-1680) who served as a rector in Warwickshire.

The Ferret name can also be traced to the village of Ferriters Court in Somerset, which likely took its name from an early landholder or resident with the surname. This place name connection further reinforces the surname's English origins.

Other notable Ferrets throughout history include the English poet and author Walter Ferret (1628-1692), the Scottish mathematician and astronomer James Ferret (1710-1785), and the British naval commander Admiral Sir David Ferret (1768-1843) who served in the Napoleonic Wars.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Ferret

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

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 Ferret 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 Ferret 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 Ferret was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

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

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