Feras
A masculine Arabic name meaning "wandering knight" or "nighttime chivalry".
Name Census estimates that about 469 living Americans carry the first name Feras. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Feras today is around 25 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Feras births was 1990 (21 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Feras. Below you will find a gender breakdown showing how the name splits between male and female registrations, a year-by-year popularity chart stretching back to 1880, decade-level totals, the top US states for this name, its meaning and etymology, and a set of frequently asked questions with data-backed answers.
For a British comparison, Name Census UK has a UK baby-name profile for Feras with official rankings and popularity over time.
People living today
469
~ 1 in 730,819 Americans
Peak year
1990
21 babies that year
Average age
25
years old
2024 SSA rank
#8,507
Tracked since 1976
Census
Feras in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 835 people with the first name Feras, which placed it at #14,182 in the published first-name tables. This is a snapshot of people who already had the name at the time of the Census.
The SSA sections elsewhere on this page answer a different question: how often parents gave the name to babies over time. The "people living today" figure on this page is different again: it is a current estimate built from SSA birth records and age-based survival rates, so the two numbers are not expected to match exactly.
2020 Census rank
#14,182
National first-name rank
People counted
835
835 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
0.3
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
White
89.5% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Feras
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Feras is White at 89.5%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (5.6%) and Black (1.8%). These figures describe the people who had the name in 2020, not any inherent property of the name itself.
The bar chart below shows how people with the first name Feras 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 name, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown so the breakdown is easy to read across every published category. Because the 2020 Census first-name file also includes raw headcounts for each group, Name Census can show those alongside the percentages in the legend and hover tooltip.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A first name does not determine a person's race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the name Feras at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White89.5% · 747
- Two or more races5.6% · 47
- Black or African American1.8% · 15
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.8% · 15
- Hispanic or Latino1.2% · 10
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.1% · 1
Popularity
Feras: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Feras from the 1970s through to the 2020s, spanning 6 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2010s, with 118 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 2010s peak, Feras remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Feras by decade
The table below breaks the full SSA timeline into ten-year windows. Each row shows how many male and female babies were given the name Feras during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Feras' live
The SSA's state-level files cover 3 states and territories. Illinois, California, Texas recorded the most babies named Feras, while Texas, California, Illinois recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 9 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Feras
The name Feras is of Arabic origin and is derived from the word "faris," which means "knight" or "horseman." This name has its roots in the ancient Arabian culture and was commonly used during the medieval period in the Middle East.
In the pre-Islamic era, the name Feras was associated with bravery, chivalry, and skill in horsemanship. Many Arab warriors and knights bore this name, as it symbolized valor and courage on the battlefield. The name gained further prominence during the Islamic conquest of the 7th century, when many Arab military leaders and commanders were given this name.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Feras can be found in the ancient Arabic poetry and literature of the 6th and 7th centuries. Several poets and writers from that era have mentioned individuals bearing this name, often praising their martial prowess and noble character.
Throughout history, several notable figures have carried the name Feras. One of the most famous was Feras ibn Habis al-Tamimi (born around 620 AD), a renowned Arab poet and warrior who fought alongside the Muslim armies during the early Islamic conquests. His poetry celebrated the virtues of bravery and honor, and he was renowned for his skill in battle.
Another prominent individual with the name Feras was Feras ibn Yahya al-Barmaki (778-808 AD), a Persian scholar and vizier who served under the Abbasid Caliphate. He was known for his patronage of the arts and sciences and played a significant role in the intellectual and cultural renaissance of the Islamic Golden Age.
In the 12th century, Feras al-Din Malik Shah (1103-1152) was the Sultan of the Seljuk Empire and is remembered for his military campaigns and patronage of arts and architecture. His reign saw the construction of many remarkable buildings, including the famous Aljaferia Palace in Zaragoza, Spain.
During the Mamluk Sultanate of Egypt and Syria (1250-1517), Feras al-Din Aktai (1259-1340) was a prominent military leader and governor who played a crucial role in the defense of the region against the Mongol invasions. He is renowned for his strategic brilliance and his efforts in preserving the cultural and artistic heritage of the region.
In more recent times, Feras Fayyad (born in 1984) is a Syrian filmmaker and documentarian who gained international acclaim for his critically acclaimed works, such as "Last Men in Aleppo" and "The Cave." His films have shed light on the ongoing conflict in Syria and the plight of civilians caught in the crossfire.
People
Feras + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Feras as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with F
Other first names starting with F with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Feras: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Feras?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 469 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Feras going back to 1880 and adjusting each cohort for expected survival using CDC actuarial life tables. The result is an age-weighted living-bearer count, not a raw birth total. That works out to about 1 in 730,819 US residents.
Is Feras a common name?
We classify Feras as "Very Rare". It ranks above 84% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 480 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Feras most popular?
The single biggest year for Feras was 1990, when 21 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Feras is about 25 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Feras in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 835 people with the name Feras, or 0.28 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #14,182 in the national Census ranking for first names.
Why is the Census count different from the living estimate?
Because they measure different things. The Census figure is a count of people who had the name Feras in 2020. The living estimate aims to answer a current question instead: how many people with the name are alive today, based on SSA birth records and age-based survival rates. Since one number is a 2020 snapshot and the other is a present-day estimate, they are not expected to be identical.
What does the Census say about the gender split for Feras?
In the 2020 Census sex table, Feras appears almost entirely male. Of the 834 people counted with this name, 100.0% were male and only a very small share were female. The Census view is a snapshot of people living with the name in 2020, while the SSA section above tracks births across time.
What does the Census say about the background of people named Feras?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Feras is White at 89.5%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (5.6%) and Black (1.8%). These figures describe the people who had the name in 2020, not any inherent property of the name itself. The percentages in the chart above come from self-reported race and Hispanic-origin responses in the 2020 Census.
Which group reports the name Feras most often in the Census?
White is the largest reported group for people named Feras in the 2020 Census, accounting for 89.5% (747 people in the published table).
Why can the Census sex total and race total differ slightly?
The Census Bureau published separate 2020 tables for sex and for race/Hispanic origin, and the released figures can differ slightly because of privacy protection in the public files. That is why this page treats the gender section and the race/origin section as two related snapshots instead of forcing them into one identical total.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only includes names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files have no Census demographic snapshot. When that happens, the SSA trend, gender history, and state sections still appear, but the 2020 Census demographic sections are omitted.
What does the SSA popularity chart show?
The chart tracks births, not the number of people alive with the name today. Each point shows how many babies were given the name Feras in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Feras a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Feras in the SSA data are male. You can see the full per-sex comparison in the gender distribution section above, which includes the latest year rank, birth count, and peak year for each sex.
Is Feras still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Feras in 2024, and the page above shows its latest-year rank where available. A name can be well past its peak and still remain in steady use, especially if it built up a large population over earlier decades.
Why can a name have a lot of living bearers even if it is not trendy now?
Because living-bearer counts and current baby-name popularity measure different things. A name like Feras can build up a very large population over many decades, even if fewer parents are choosing it now than they did at its peak.
Where does this data come from?
First-name figures come from the Social Security Administration's national baby name files, which cover every name on a birth certificate from 1880 to 2024. Living-bearer estimates layer in CDC actuarial life tables broken out by sex to account for mortality. The population baseline (342,754,338) is the Census Bureau's latest national estimate. You can read the full calculation on our methodology page.
How many people have Feras as a first name?
For a quick modern take, check how many Americans are named Feras on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org.