2000
#10,703
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,740
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.02
Rare Last name
Ferretti
An Italian occupational surname referring to a maker of iron tools or hardware, derived from the Italian word "ferro".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 3,026 Americans carry the last name Ferretti. That puts it at #11,418 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.88 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 113,270 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Ferretti 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 Ferretti with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
3.0K
1 in 113,270
Census rank
#11,418
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.9
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.6K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,639 bearers of the surname Ferretti in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.88 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 11418th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Ferretti, the largest self-reported group is White at 85.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (11.3%) and Two or More Races (2.4%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Ferretti
The surname Ferretti originated in Italy during the Middle Ages. It is derived from the Italian word "ferro," meaning iron, and was likely an occupational name for a blacksmith or ironworker. The name first appeared in historical records in the 13th century in the region of Tuscany, particularly in the cities of Florence and Siena.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Ferretti can be found in the Florentine tax records of 1291, where a certain Guido Ferretti is mentioned as a resident of the city. Another early reference is in the Sienese archives from 1327, which lists a Gherardo Ferretti as a member of the local guild of blacksmiths.
During the Renaissance period, the Ferretti family gained prominence in the city of Ferrara, where they were part of the local nobility. In the 15th century, a branch of the family moved to Rome and established themselves as influential figures in the papal court. Notable members of the Roman Ferretti family include Cardinal Gabriele Ferretti (1385-1457), who served as an advisor to several popes, and Girolamo Ferretti (1499-1572), a renowned humanist scholar and poet.
In the 16th century, the name Ferretti can be found in various Italian city chronicles and chronicles of noble families. For example, the "Cronaca di Bologna" from 1546 mentions a Ferrante Ferretti, who was a prominent citizen of that city. The "Cronaca di Modena" from 1571 also refers to a Gian Battista Ferretti, who was a member of the local aristocracy.
One of the most famous individuals with the surname Ferretti was Giovanni Ferretti (1599-1677), an Italian architect and military engineer who worked on fortifications and public buildings throughout Italy and Europe. He was born in the town of Borgo San Sepolcro in Tuscany and was active in the service of several Italian rulers, including the Medici family in Florence and the Farnese family in Parma.
Other notable individuals with the Ferretti surname include Jacopo Ferretti (1784-1869), an Italian poet and literary critic from Ancona, and Domenico Ferretti (1826-1896), a bishop and diplomat who served as the Apostolic Nuncio to Belgium and later as the Secretary of the Sacred Congregation for the Propagation of the Faith in Rome.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Ferretti
Among Census respondents with the surname Ferretti, the largest self-reported group is White at 85.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (11.3%) and Two or More Races (2.4%).
The bar chart below shows how Ferretti 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 Ferretti surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White85.1% · 2,246
- Hispanic or Latino11.3% · 298
- Two or more races2.4% · 64
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 16
- Black or African American0.5% · 12
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.1% · 3
Timeline
Historical Census data for Ferretti
Ferretti 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
#10,914
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,916
+176 bearers (+6.4%)
Per 100,000 0.99
Rank movement Down 211 places
2020
#11,418
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,639
-277 bearers (-9.5%)
Per 100,000 0.88
Rank movement Down 504 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #10,703 | 2,740 | 1.02 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #10,914 | 2,916 | 0.99 | +176 bearers (+6.4%) | Down 211 places |
| 2020 | #11,418 | 2,639 | 0.88 | -277 bearers (-9.5%) | Down 504 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 Ferretti 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 | #10,914 | #11,418 | -4.6% |
| Count | 2,916 | 2,639 | -9.5% |
| Per 100K | 0.99 | 0.88 | -10.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Ferretti bearers went from 2,916 to 2,639 (-9.5% change). The surname moved down 504 positions in the national ranking, going from #10,914 to #11,418.
FAQ
Ferretti surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Ferretti?
Name Census estimates that about 3,026 living Americans carry the surname Ferretti. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 113,270 residents.
How common is Ferretti?
Ferretti ranks #11,418 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 2,639 people with the surname Ferretti. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (3,026), 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 Ferretti.
Has Ferretti become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Ferretti went from 2,916 recorded bearers to 2,639. That is a decrease of 277 (-9.5%). In the national ranking it fell from #10,914 to #11,418.
What does the Census say about the background of Ferretti?
Among Census respondents with the surname Ferretti, the largest self-reported group is White at 85.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (11.3%) and Two or More Races (2.4%). 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 Ferretti in the 2020 Census, accounting for 85.1% (2,246 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Ferretti appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (85.1%), Hispanic (11.3%), Two or More Races (2.4%). 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 Ferretti (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 Ferretti mean?
An Italian occupational surname referring to a maker of iron tools or hardware, derived from the Italian word "ferro". 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 Ferretti (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 have the last name Ferretti?
If you just want to know how common the surname Ferretti is, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.