How common is the surname Ferry?

10,312 people in the United States had the surname Ferry in the 2010 Census, about 1 in every 29,940 Americans. It ranked 3,467th of 162,253 surnames.

Who is the most famous person named Ferry?

Edward Ferry, American rower (1941–2023), followed by Danny Ferry.

Where is the surname Ferry most common?

Wikidata records people named Ferry in the United States.

Is the surname Ferry getting more or less common?

Less common. 11,190 people carried it in the 2000 Census and 10,312 in 2010, down 7.8%.

Is Ferry also a first name?

Yes. Ferry is used as a first name as well as a surname; its first-name page has the meaning and how many babies were given it.

The surname Ferry

An English occupational surname, carried by 10,312 people in the United States.

2 syllables Soundex F600 Also a first name

Every surname held by 100 or more people in the 2010 US Census, most common on the left (162,253 in all). Ferry is more common than 97.9% of them.

Origin

English origin

Two main origins: * A reduced Anglicized form of Irish Ó Fearadhaigh (“descendant of Fearadhach”), a personal name probably derived from an adjective derivative of fear (“man”). * A metonymic occupational surname for a ferryman or a topographic surname for someone who lived by a ferry crossing, from Middle English feri (“ferry”).

Ferry is an occupational surname: named after the work an ancestor did.

One of 1,446 English surnames on this site.

Origin from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0).

How common it is

2010 US Census

There were 10,312 people named Ferry in the United States in 2010, about 1 in every 29,940 Americans. That is down 7.8% since 2000, when the Census counted 11,190.

#3,467

rank among US surnames

10,312

people in 2010

3.5

per 100,000 Americans

-7.8%

change since 2000 (was #2,960)

Rank	Surname	People	1 in
#3,463	Liles	10,317	29,926
#3,464	Fang	10,316	29,929
#3,466	Maya	10,313	29,938
#3,467	Ferry	10,312	29,940

Who is named Ferry

Race and Hispanic origin as people reported it in the 2010 Census

92% of people named Ferry identified as white (not Hispanic), 3.3% as Black (not Hispanic) and 2.2% as Hispanic or Latino (any race).

White (not Hispanic) 92%
Black (not Hispanic) 3.3%
Hispanic or Latino (any race) 2.2%
Two or more races 1.6%
Asian and Pacific Islander 0.7%
American Indian and Alaska Native 0.3%

Compare: most common surnames among white Americans.

Famous Ferrys

5 notable people on Wikidata, most written-about first

Edward Ferry
American rower (1941–2023)
Danny Ferry
American basketball player (born 1966)
Elisha P. Ferry
American politician (1825-1895)
Bob Ferry
American basketball player-coach, 1937–2021
Thomas W. Ferry
American politician (1827-1896)

Spellings and sound-alikes

Useful when a record has your ancestor under another spelling

Variant spellings

Farry

Surnames that sound like Ferry

Ferry has the Soundex code F600, the code US census indexes have used since the 1930s. Every surname with code F600.

Other English surnames

All 1,446 English surnames

Questions

Where does the surname Ferry come from?: Two main origins: * A reduced Anglicized form of Irish Ó Fearadhaigh (“descendant of Fearadhach”), a personal name probably derived from an adjective derivative of fear (“man”). * A metonymic occupational surname for a ferryman or a topographic surname for someone who lived by a ferry crossing,…
How common is the surname Ferry?: 10,312 people in the United States had the surname Ferry in the 2010 Census, about 1 in every 29,940 Americans. It ranked 3,467th of 162,253 surnames.
What ethnicity is the surname Ferry?: In the 2010 Census, 92% of people named Ferry identified as white (not Hispanic), and 3.3% as Black (not Hispanic).
Who is the most famous person named Ferry?: Edward Ferry, American rower (1941–2023), followed by Danny Ferry.
Where is the surname Ferry most common?: Wikidata records people named Ferry in the United States.
What type of surname is Ferry?: Ferry is an occupational surname, named after the work an ancestor did.
Is the surname Ferry getting more or less common?: Less common. 11,190 people carried it in the 2000 Census and 10,312 in 2010, down 7.8%.
What are other spellings of Ferry?: Farry.
Is Ferry also a first name?: Yes. Ferry is used as a first name as well as a surname; its first-name page has the meaning and how many babies were given it.