How common is the surname McFerrin?

1,389 people in the United States had the surname McFerrin in the 2010 Census, about 1 in every 222,279 Americans. It ranked 19,456th of 162,253 surnames.

Who is the most famous person named McFerrin?

Bobby McFerrin, American jazz vocalist and composer (born 1950).

Where is the surname McFerrin most common?

Wikidata records people named McFerrin in the United States.

Is the surname McFerrin getting more or less common?

Less common. 1,421 people carried it in the 2000 Census and 1,389 in 2010, down 2.3%.

The surname McFerrin

An Irish patronymic surname, carried by 1,389 people in the United States.

3 syllables Soundex M216

Every surname held by 100 or more people in the 2010 US Census, most common on the left (162,253 in all). McFerrin is more common than 88% of them.

Origin

Irish origin

Anglicized form of Irish Mac Fearáin (“son of Fearán”), a personal name derived from a diminutive form of fear (“man”).

McFerrin is a patronymic surname: formed from a father’s (or ancestor’s) given name.

One of 880 Irish surnames on this site.

Origin from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0).

How common it is

2010 US Census

There were 1,389 people named McFerrin in the United States in 2010, about 1 in every 222,279 Americans. That is down 2.3% since 2000, when the Census counted 1,421.

#19,456

rank among US surnames

1,389

people in 2010

0.5

per 100,000 Americans

-2.3%

change since 2000 (was #18,087)

Who is named McFerrin

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

80% of people named McFerrin identified as white (not Hispanic), 16% as Black (not Hispanic) and 2.2% as two or more races.

White (not Hispanic) 80%
Black (not Hispanic) 16%
Two or more races 2.2%
Hispanic or Latino (any race) 1.0%

The Census suppresses very small shares to protect privacy; Asian & Pacific Islander, Native American are not shown.

Compare: most common surnames among white Americans.

Famous McFerrins

1 notable person on Wikidata, most written-about first

Bobby McFerrin
American jazz vocalist and composer (born 1950)

Spellings and sound-alikes

Useful when a record has your ancestor under another spelling

Surnames that sound like McFerrin

McFerrin has the Soundex code M216, the code US census indexes have used since the 1930s. Every surname with code M216.

Other Irish surnames

All 880 Irish surnames

Questions

Where does the surname McFerrin come from?: Anglicized form of Irish Mac Fearáin (“son of Fearán”), a personal name derived from a diminutive form of fear (“man”).
How common is the surname McFerrin?: 1,389 people in the United States had the surname McFerrin in the 2010 Census, about 1 in every 222,279 Americans. It ranked 19,456th of 162,253 surnames.
What ethnicity is the surname McFerrin?: In the 2010 Census, 80% of people named McFerrin identified as white (not Hispanic), and 16% as Black (not Hispanic).
Who is the most famous person named McFerrin?: Bobby McFerrin, American jazz vocalist and composer (born 1950).
Where is the surname McFerrin most common?: Wikidata records people named McFerrin in the United States.
What type of surname is McFerrin?: McFerrin is a patronymic surname, formed from a father’s (or ancestor’s) given name.
Is the surname McFerrin getting more or less common?: Less common. 1,421 people carried it in the 2000 Census and 1,389 in 2010, down 2.3%.