Ferne
A French feminine name derived from the word "fern", symbolizing revitalization and endurance.
Name Census estimates that about 396 living Americans carry the first name Ferne. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Ferne today is around 80 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Ferne births was 1916 (247 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Ferne. 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 Ferne with official rankings and popularity over time.
Key insights
- • The typical person named Ferne is about 80 years old today, placing it firmly among the names of earlier generations. Most living Fernes were born before 1956.
People living today
396
~ 1 in 865,541 Americans
Peak year
1916
247 babies that year
Average age
80
years old
2020 SSA rank
#15,888
Tracked since 1884
Census
Ferne in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 812 people with the first name Ferne, which placed it at #14,499 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
#14,499
National first-name rank
People counted
812
812 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
0.3
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
White
88.4% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Ferne
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Ferne is White at 88.4%. The next largest groups are Black (8.7%) and Hispanic (1.1%). 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 Ferne 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 Ferne at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White88.4% · 718
- Black or African American8.7% · 71
- Hispanic or Latino1.1% · 9
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 6
- Two or more races0.7% · 6
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 2
Popularity
Ferne: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Ferne from the 1880s through to the 2020s, spanning 11 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1910s, with 1,578 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 1910s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Ferne 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 Ferne during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Fernes live
The SSA's state-level files cover 25 states and territories. Pennsylvania, Illinois, Iowa recorded the most babies named Ferne, while Virginia, Utah, Idaho recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 97 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Ferne
The name Ferne is an English feminine given name derived from the Old English word "fearn," meaning fern or bracken. It originated in Anglo-Saxon England, where ferns were abundant and held symbolic significance. The name likely emerged during the medieval period, reflecting the connection between names and nature during that era.
One of the earliest recorded uses of the name Ferne can be traced back to the 13th century in the Domesday Book, a historical record commissioned by William the Conqueror in 1086. However, its usage remained relatively uncommon until the 19th century when it experienced a resurgence in popularity.
Historically, the name Ferne has been associated with botanical symbolism and a connection to the natural world. In some folklore traditions, ferns were believed to have mystical properties and were used in various rituals and ceremonies. This association may have contributed to the name's enduring appeal.
Notable historical figures named Ferne include Ferne Milner (1867-1959), an American author and playwright known for her novels set in the American Midwest. Ferne Clyffe (1891-1970) was a Canadian-American artist renowned for her landscape paintings depicting the natural beauty of the Canadian Rockies.
In the realm of literature, Ferne Arfmann (1921-2001) was a notable American author and educator who wrote several children's books and poetry collections. Ferne Andrews (1911-1992) was a British actress and singer who appeared in numerous films and stage productions during the mid-20th century.
Another noteworthy figure was Ferne Jacobson (1928-2009), an American politician and activist who served as a member of the Oregon State Senate and advocated for environmental conservation and women's rights.
The name Ferne has maintained a unique charm throughout history, reflecting a connection to nature and the enduring appeal of names rooted in the natural world.
People
Ferne + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Ferne 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
Ferne: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Ferne?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 396 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Ferne 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 865,541 US residents.
Is Ferne a common name?
We classify Ferne as "Very Rare". It ranks above 82.2% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 4,676 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Ferne most popular?
The single biggest year for Ferne was 1916, when 247 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Ferne is about 80 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Ferne in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 812 people with the name Ferne, or 0.27 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #14,499 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 Ferne 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 Ferne?
In the 2020 Census sex table, Ferne leans strongly female. 801 people counted with this name were female (97.8%), compared with 18 male bearers (2.2%). 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 Ferne?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Ferne is White at 88.4%. The next largest groups are Black (8.7%) and Hispanic (1.1%). 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 Ferne most often in the Census?
White is the largest reported group for people named Ferne in the 2020 Census, accounting for 88.4% (718 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 Ferne in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Ferne a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Ferne in the SSA data are female. 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 Ferne still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Ferne 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 Ferne 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 the name Ferne?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.