2000
#2,556
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 13,010
First available Census row
Per 100,000 4.82
Uncommon Last name
Ferrer
An occupational surname referring to an ironworker, blacksmith, or one who works with iron.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 20,505 Americans carry the last name Ferrer. That puts it at #1,972 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 5.98 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 16,716 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Ferrer 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 Ferrer with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
21K
1 in 16,716
Census rank
#1,972
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
6.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
18K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 17,881 bearers of the surname Ferrer in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 5.98 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 1972nd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Ferrer, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 67.7%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (20.3%) and White (8.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Ferrer
The surname Ferrer is believed to have originated in Catalonia, a region in northeastern Spain. It emerged in the Middle Ages, around the 12th or 13th century. The name is derived from the Catalan word "ferrer," which means "blacksmith" or "ironworker." This occupation-based surname was likely given to someone who worked as a blacksmith or was involved in the iron trade.
One of the earliest known references to the Ferrer surname can be found in the "Llibre del Repartiment," a document from the 13th century that recorded the distribution of land and properties in Valencia after the Christian conquest of the region. The name appears in various spellings, such as "Ferrer," "Ferrerio," and "Ferrarius."
In the 14th century, the Ferrer surname was mentioned in the "Llibre Verd" (Green Book), a medieval manuscript that documented the laws and regulations of the city of Valencia. This record suggests that the Ferrer family had already established a presence in the region by that time.
One of the notable individuals with the Ferrer surname was Ramon Ferrer (1350-1419), a renowned Catalan theologian and philosopher. He was a member of the Dominican Order and served as the confessor to King Martin I of Aragon.
Another prominent figure was Vicente Ferrer (1350-1419), a Spanish Dominican friar and preacher. He is venerated as a saint in the Catholic Church and is known for his extensive preaching tours throughout Europe, during which he advocated for peace and religious reform.
In the 16th century, the Ferrer surname was associated with several notable figures in the arts and literature. Juan Ferrer de Valdecebro (1520-1557) was a Spanish playwright and poet, while Luis Ferrer de Valdecebro (1560-1625) was a renowned playwright and one of the most significant figures in the Spanish Golden Age theater.
The Ferrer surname also has connections to certain place names. For example, the town of Ferrera in the Pyrenees mountains of Catalonia is believed to have derived its name from the Ferrer family, who may have been among the early settlers in the area.
Other notable individuals with the Ferrer surname include Francisco Ferrer Guardia (1859-1909), a Spanish educator and anarchist who founded the Modern School in Barcelona, and Joaquin Ferrer (1835-1917), a Spanish painter and one of the leading figures of the Catalan Modernist movement.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Ferrer
Among Census respondents with the surname Ferrer, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 67.7%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (20.3%) and White (8.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Ferrer 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 Ferrer surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Hispanic or Latino67.7% · 12,097
- Asian and Pacific Islander20.3% · 3,630
- White8.7% · 1,559
- Two or more races1.7% · 302
- Black or African American1.6% · 283
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.1% · 10
Timeline
Historical Census data for Ferrer
Ferrer 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
#2,123
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 17,057
+4,047 bearers (+31.1%)
Per 100,000 5.78
Rank movement Up 433 places
2020
#1,972
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 17,881
+824 bearers (+4.8%)
Per 100,000 5.98
Rank movement Up 151 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #2,556 | 13,010 | 4.82 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #2,123 | 17,057 | 5.78 | +4,047 bearers (+31.1%) | Up 433 places |
| 2020 | #1,972 | 17,881 | 5.98 | +824 bearers (+4.8%) | Up 151 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 Ferrer 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 | #2,123 | #1,972 | 7.1% |
| Count | 17,057 | 17,881 | 4.8% |
| Per 100K | 5.78 | 5.98 | 3.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Ferrer bearers went from 17,057 to 17,881 (+4.8% change). The surname moved up 151 positions in the national ranking, going from #2,123 to #1,972.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Ferrer
FAQ
Ferrer surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Ferrer?
Name Census estimates that about 20,505 living Americans carry the surname Ferrer. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 16,716 residents.
How common is Ferrer?
Ferrer ranks #1,972 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 5.98 per 100,000 residents, which is about 6 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 17,881 people with the surname Ferrer. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (20,505), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 5.98 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 5.98 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 6 of them to have the surname Ferrer.
Has Ferrer become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Ferrer went from 17,057 recorded bearers to 17,881. That is an increase of 824 (+4.8%). In the national ranking it rose from #2,123 to #1,972.
What does the Census say about the background of Ferrer?
Among Census respondents with the surname Ferrer, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 67.7%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (20.3%) and White (8.7%). 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?
Hispanic is the largest self-reported group for the surname Ferrer in the 2020 Census, accounting for 67.7% (12,097 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Ferrer appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Hispanic (67.7%), Asian/Pacific Islander (20.3%), White (8.7%). 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 Ferrer (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 Ferrer mean?
An occupational surname referring to an ironworker, blacksmith, or one who works with iron. 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 Ferrer (5.98 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 many Americans have the surname Ferrer?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.