2000
#173
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 142,256
First available Census row
Per 100,000 52.73
Common Last name
Ferguson
Scottish and Irish occupational surname denoting a son of a fergus, derived from Gaelic meaning "man of vigor".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 159,663 Americans carry the last name Ferguson. That puts it at #198 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 46.58 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,147 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Ferguson surname. You will find the Census Bureau frequency data, a multi-census history view, an ancestry and ethnicity breakdown based on self-reported demographics, the name's meaning and origin where available, and answers to the most common questions people ask about this surname.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Ferguson with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
160K
1 in 2,147
Census rank
#198
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
46.6
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
139K
common in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 139,234 bearers of the surname Ferguson in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 46.58 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 198th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Ferguson, the largest self-reported group is White at 71.7%. The next largest groups are Black (18.8%) and Two or More Races (4.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Ferguson
The surname Ferguson has its origins in Scotland, where it first appeared around the 12th century. It is derived from the Gaelic personal name 'Feargus', which means 'man of force' or 'brave man'. The name was particularly common in the counties of Ayr, Dumfries, and Fife.
One of the earliest recorded examples of the name can be found in the Ragman Rolls of 1296, which lists a John Fersithson as a tenant in Ayrshire. The name was also recorded in the Exchequer Rolls of Scotland in 1369, where a Thomas Fersone is mentioned.
The name Ferguson is closely associated with the Scottish clan of the same name, which has its roots in the ancient Celtic kingdom of Dalriada. The clan's ancestral lands were located in Argyllshire and the islands of Islay and Jura.
In the 16th century, the Fergusons were involved in the long-running feud between the Clan MacDonald of Islay and the Clan MacDougall of Lorn. One notable figure from this period was Fergus Mor MacFergus, who was the Chief of the Clan Ferguson in the early 1500s.
As the name spread across Scotland and beyond, various spellings emerged, including Fergussone, Fergusson, and Fergusoun. One of the earliest recorded instances of the modern spelling 'Ferguson' can be found in the Register of the Great Seal of Scotland in 1492, where a John Ferguson is mentioned.
Throughout history, there have been several notable individuals bearing the surname Ferguson. These include:
1. Robert Ferguson (1637-1714), a Scottish minister and author known for his work 'The Interest of Reason in Religion'.
2. Adam Ferguson (1723-1816), a Scottish philosopher and historian who wrote 'An Essay on the History of Civil Society'.
3. Sir Samuel Ferguson (1810-1886), an Irish poet and antiquarian who played a significant role in the Celtic Revival movement.
4. Sarah Fergusson (1823-1892), a Scottish-born Australian pioneer and diarist, known for her accounts of life in colonial Australia.
5. Sir William Ferguson (1820-1887), a Scottish-born Australian politician and landowner who served as Premier of New South Wales.
The Ferguson surname has a rich history, rooted in the rugged terrain of Scotland and the ancient Celtic cultures that inhabited the region. It has since spread across the globe, carried by individuals who have left their mark in various fields, from literature and philosophy to politics and exploration.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Ferguson
Among Census respondents with the surname Ferguson, the largest self-reported group is White at 71.7%. The next largest groups are Black (18.8%) and Two or More Races (4.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Ferguson bearers 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 surname, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown for every Census year so the breakdown stays comparable over time. When the source file also includes raw headcounts, Name Census shows those alongside the percentages in the legend.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A person's surname does not determine their race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the Ferguson surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White71.7% · 99,871
- Black or African American18.8% · 26,116
- Two or more races4.5% · 6,256
- Hispanic or Latino3.6% · 5,076
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 1,099
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.6% · 816
Timeline
Historical Census data for Ferguson
Ferguson appears in 3 published Census surname files: 2000, 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2010
#188
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 146,426
+4,170 bearers (+2.9%)
Per 100,000 49.64
Rank movement Down 15 places
2020
#198
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 139,234
-7,192 bearers (-4.9%)
Per 100,000 46.58
Rank movement Down 10 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #173 | 142,256 | 52.73 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #188 | 146,426 | 49.64 | +4,170 bearers (+2.9%) | Down 15 places |
| 2020 | #198 | 139,234 | 46.58 | -7,192 bearers (-4.9%) | Down 10 places |
For 2020, the Census Bureau published race and Hispanic-origin columns as counts rather than percentages. Name Census converts those counts back into shares so the ancestry section stays comparable with the older surname files.
Year on year
2010 vs 2020 Census
How has the Ferguson surname changed between Census years? The chart shows bearer count side by side, and the table compares rank, count, and frequency.
Census year comparison
20102020
| Metric | 2010 | 2020 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #188 | #198 | -5.3% |
| Count | 146,426 | 139,234 | -4.9% |
| Per 100K | 49.64 | 46.58 | -6.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Ferguson bearers went from 146,426 to 139,234 (-4.9% change). The surname moved down 10 positions in the national ranking, going from #188 to #198.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Ferguson
FAQ
Ferguson surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Ferguson?
Name Census estimates that about 159,663 living Americans carry the surname Ferguson. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,147 residents.
How common is Ferguson?
Ferguson ranks #198 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Common." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 46.58 per 100,000 residents, which is about 47 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 139,234 people with the surname Ferguson. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (159,663), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 46.58 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 46.58 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 47 of them to have the surname Ferguson.
Has Ferguson become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Ferguson went from 146,426 recorded bearers to 139,234. That is a decrease of 7,192 (-4.9%). In the national ranking it fell from #188 to #198.
What does the Census say about the background of Ferguson?
Among Census respondents with the surname Ferguson, the largest self-reported group is White at 71.7%. The next largest groups are Black (18.8%) and Two or More Races (4.5%). These figures come from the 2020 Census Bureau surname tables, based on how respondents described their own race and ethnicity.
Which group reports this surname most often?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Ferguson in the 2020 Census, accounting for 71.7% (99,871 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Ferguson appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (71.7%), Black (18.8%), Two or More Races (4.5%). For 2020, the source file also published raw headcounts for each group, which is why this page can show both percentages and counts in the ancestry section.
Is this page using the latest Census data?
Yes. This page is using the latest surname file currently loaded on Name Census, which is 2020. The historical section above also keeps any older Census surname entries we have for Ferguson (2000, 2010, 2020).
Does the Census include every surname?
No. The Census Bureau only publishes surnames that appeared at least 100 times in a given decennial Census. That means very rare surnames are excluded entirely, and a surname can appear in one Census release but disappear from a later one if it falls below the reporting threshold.
Why don't the ancestry percentages always add up to exactly 100%?
There are two main reasons: rounding and suppression. The Census Bureau rounds published values, and it may suppress very small cells to protect privacy. For 2020, the Bureau also published raw group counts rather than direct percentages, so Name Census converts those counts back into shares for comparability across census years.
What does Ferguson mean?
Scottish and Irish occupational surname denoting a son of a fergus, derived from Gaelic meaning "man of vigor". The fuller origin note on this page goes into more detail.
Where does the surname data come from?
All surname statistics on Name Census are drawn from the US Census Bureau's decennial surname frequency tables. These files list every surname that appeared 100 or more times in the 2020 Census, along with a count, a per-100,000 rate, and a self-reported demographic breakdown. You can read the full explanation on our methodology page.
How does Name Census estimate living bearers?
For surnames, Name Census does not age cohorts the way it does for first names. Instead, it takes the Census Bureau's published frequency for Ferguson (46.58 per 100,000) and applies that rate to the current U.S. resident population to estimate how many living Americans have the surname today.
How common is the surname Ferguson?
You can see how many people are called Ferguson on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.