Ferron
A masculine name of French or Norman origin meaning "from iron".
Name Census estimates that about 90 living Americans carry the first name Ferron. It appears on both sides of the gender split, with 89.4% of registrations being male. The average person named Ferron today is around 50 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Ferron births was 1990 (10 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Ferron. 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.
Key insights
- • Fewer than 100 living Americans are believed to carry the name Ferron. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
90
~ 1 in 3,808,382 Americans
Peak year
1990
10 babies that year
Average age
50
years old
2009 SSA rank
#9,089
Tracked since 1919
Census
Ferron in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 278 people with the first name Ferron, which placed it at #31,017 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
#31,017
National first-name rank
People counted
278
278 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
0.1
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
White
43.2% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Ferron
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Ferron is White at 43.2%. The next largest groups are Black (37.8%) and Two or More Races (7.9%). 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 Ferron 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 Ferron at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White43.2% · 120
- Black or African American37.8% · 105
- Two or more races7.9% · 22
- Asian and Pacific Islander5.4% · 15
- Hispanic or Latino2.9% · 8
- American Indian and Alaska Native2.9% · 8
Gender
Gender distribution for Ferron
Ferron leans heavily male at 89.4% of total registrations, but 12 girls have also been registered with the name over the years, giving it a small but present crossover presence.
Ferron as a male name
- Ranked #13,085 in 2009
- 5 male births in 2009
- Peak: 1990 (10 births)
Ferron as a female name
- Ranked #9,089 in 1987
- 7 female births in 1987
- Peak: 1987 (7 births)
2020 Census snapshot
In the 2020 Census sex table, Ferron leans strongly male. 219 people counted with this name were male (81.1%), compared with 51 female bearers (18.9%).
Popularity
Ferron: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Ferron from the 1910s through to the 2000s, spanning 9 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1950s, with 25 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 1950s peak, Ferron remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Ferron 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 Ferron during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Origin
Meaning and history of Ferron
The name Ferron is believed to have its origins in the French language, deriving from the word "fer," which means "iron." This connection suggests that the name may have initially been associated with professions or trades involving metalwork or blacksmithing.
In the Middle Ages, the name Ferron was found in various regions of France, particularly in the northern and central parts of the country. It was commonly used as a surname among families involved in ironworking or metalsmithing crafts.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Ferron dates back to the 13th century, when it appeared in historical records and documents from the region of Normandy in northern France. During this period, the name was often used to identify individuals by their occupation or trade.
Throughout history, several notable figures have borne the name Ferron. One such individual was Jean Ferron (1614-1696), a French priest and theologian who authored several religious works and was known for his scholarly contributions to the Catholic Church.
Another prominent figure was Jean-Baptiste Ferron (1736-1799), a French architect and urban planner who played a significant role in the development and redesign of various cities in France during the 18th century.
In the realm of literature, Ferron Courtenay (1866-1946), an American author and poet, gained recognition for her works that explored themes of nature, spirituality, and social commentary.
Moving into the 20th century, Ferron (1926-2008), a Canadian poet and novelist, became a celebrated figure in the literary world for her poetic works that explored feminist themes and the experiences of women in contemporary society.
Lastly, Ferron Senegalia (1957-2018), an American artist and sculptor, gained recognition for his large-scale public installations and sculptural works that often incorporated elements of nature and recycled materials.
While the name Ferron may have originated from a profession or trade, it has since transcended those initial associations and has been embraced by individuals from diverse backgrounds and fields throughout history.
People
Ferron + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Ferron 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
Ferron: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Ferron?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 90 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Ferron 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 3,808,382 US residents.
Is Ferron a common name?
We classify Ferron as "Very Rare". It ranks above 63% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 113 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Ferron most popular?
The single biggest year for Ferron was 1990, when 10 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Ferron is about 50 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Ferron in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 278 people with the name Ferron, or 0.09 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #31,017 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 Ferron 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 Ferron?
In the 2020 Census sex table, Ferron leans strongly male. 219 people counted with this name were male (81.1%), compared with 51 female bearers (18.9%). 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 Ferron?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Ferron is White at 43.2%. The next largest groups are Black (37.8%) and Two or More Races (7.9%). 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 Ferron most often in the Census?
White is the largest reported group for people named Ferron in the 2020 Census, accounting for 43.2% (120 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 Ferron in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Ferron a male name?
Yes, 89.4% of people registered as Ferron 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 Ferron still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Ferron 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 Ferron 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 common is the name Ferron?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.