2000
#1,585
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 20,743
First available Census row
Per 100,000 7.69
Uncommon Last name
Ferris
Derived from an Irish Gaelic personal name meaning "man of force" or "descendant of the fierce one."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 22,628 Americans carry the last name Ferris. That puts it at #1,774 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 6.60 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 15,147 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Ferris 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 Ferris with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
23K
1 in 15,147
Census rank
#1,774
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
6.6
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
20K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 19,733 bearers of the surname Ferris in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 6.60 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 1774th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Ferris, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.1%) and Two or More Races (3.4%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Ferris
The surname Ferris has its origins in medieval France, deriving from the Old French word "ferier," which means "blacksmith" or "iron worker." The name first appeared in England following the Norman Conquest of 1066, as many Norman families settled in Britain.
In the Domesday Book of 1086, a record of landholders in England commissioned by William the Conqueror, there are several entries for individuals with the surname Ferris or similar spellings, such as Ferers and Ferrers. These early records suggest that the name was well-established in England by the late 11th century.
One of the earliest recorded individuals with the surname Ferris was William Ferris, a Norman knight who fought alongside William the Conqueror at the Battle of Hastings in 1066. William Ferris was later granted lands in Staffordshire, and his descendants continued to use the name for generations.
During the Middle Ages, the name Ferris was sometimes associated with places where blacksmiths or iron workers lived or worked. For example, the village of Ferrieres in Normandy, France, was known for its iron industry, and some early bearers of the name may have hailed from this area.
In the 13th century, a prominent individual named William Ferris was appointed Lord Chancellor of England by King Henry III. This William Ferris was likely descended from the Norman knight who fought at Hastings.
Another notable figure was Sir John Ferris (c. 1330-1399), a English knight who served under King Edward III during the Hundred Years' War. Sir John Ferris was renowned for his bravery in battle and was rewarded with lands in Lincolnshire.
In the 16th century, the name Ferris was sometimes spelled "Ferres" or "Ferrys." One example is John Ferres (c. 1520-1585), an English Catholic martyr who was executed during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I for his religious beliefs.
Over the centuries, the Ferris surname has been found throughout England, Ireland, and other parts of the British Isles, as well as in North America, where many individuals with the name immigrated from Britain.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Ferris
Among Census respondents with the surname Ferris, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.1%) and Two or More Races (3.4%).
The bar chart below shows how Ferris 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 Ferris surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White88.2% · 17,398
- Hispanic or Latino4.1% · 815
- Two or more races3.4% · 665
- Black or African American2.2% · 441
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.2% · 227
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9% · 187
Timeline
Historical Census data for Ferris
Ferris 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
#1,732
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 20,703
-40 bearers (-0.2%)
Per 100,000 7.02
Rank movement Down 147 places
2020
#1,774
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 19,733
-970 bearers (-4.7%)
Per 100,000 6.60
Rank movement Down 42 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #1,585 | 20,743 | 7.69 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #1,732 | 20,703 | 7.02 | -40 bearers (-0.2%) | Down 147 places |
| 2020 | #1,774 | 19,733 | 6.60 | -970 bearers (-4.7%) | Down 42 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 Ferris 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 | #1,732 | #1,774 | -2.4% |
| Count | 20,703 | 19,733 | -4.7% |
| Per 100K | 7.02 | 6.60 | -6.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Ferris bearers went from 20,703 to 19,733 (-4.7% change). The surname moved down 42 positions in the national ranking, going from #1,732 to #1,774.
FAQ
Ferris surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Ferris?
Name Census estimates that about 22,628 living Americans carry the surname Ferris. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 15,147 residents.
How common is Ferris?
Ferris ranks #1,774 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 6.60 per 100,000 residents, which is about 7 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 19,733 people with the surname Ferris. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (22,628), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 6.6 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 6.60 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 7 of them to have the surname Ferris.
Has Ferris become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Ferris went from 20,703 recorded bearers to 19,733. That is a decrease of 970 (-4.7%). In the national ranking it fell from #1,732 to #1,774.
What does the Census say about the background of Ferris?
Among Census respondents with the surname Ferris, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.1%) and Two or More Races (3.4%). 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 Ferris in the 2020 Census, accounting for 88.2% (17,398 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Ferris appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (88.2%), Hispanic (4.1%), Two or More Races (3.4%). 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 Ferris (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 Ferris mean?
Derived from an Irish Gaelic personal name meaning "man of force" or "descendant of the fierce one." 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 Ferris (6.60 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 common is the surname Ferris?
See how common the surname Ferris is on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.