Ferrer (surname)

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Ferrer Family Name
A close-up of a blacksmith at work.
Meaning	an occupational name for an ironworker or blacksmith.
Region of origin	1. England 2. Catalonia
Language of origin	derived from Latin: ferrarius
Related names	Ferrers
Popularity	Behind the Name
Wikipedia articles	All pages beginning with Ferrer

Ferrer is a surname of English and Catalan origin. The Catalan name is the most common Catalan surname,^[1] and is in fact considered by many to be of English origin.^[2][3][4] Ferrer is an occupational name for an iron worker or blacksmith, derived from the Latin ferrarius.^[1] Ferrer as a surname of English origin is a variant of the surname Farrar.^[1], Ferrier, de Ferrer, and de Ferrers, respectively.^[5] Ferrer shares a common occupational derivation with the most common English surname, Smith.

Originally Norman, having come to England with William the Conqueror. In the Middle Ages, the Ferrer family held the earldom of Derby;^[6] although the main line died out,^[6] many descendants in England and Scotland still bear the name Ferrer,^[6] while others emigrated to i.a. Spain^[6] - e.g. the Scottish-English nobleman William Stewart Ferrer,^[7][8] father of Saint Vincent Ferrer. Also Bernard Ferrer,^[2] an English Knight, and Ausies (?) Ferrer,^[2], a Scottish Lord, came from Britain to Spain - to aid in the restoration of Christian rule in Valencia.^[2]

Contents 1 Analysis 1.1 Great Britain 1.1.1 Ethnicity of forenames of people bearing the surname Ferrer in Great Britain 1.2 Australia 1.3 New Zealand 1.4 United States of America 1.5 Comparison between Great Britain and the World (per million occurrences of the surname) 2 Footnotes

[edit] Analysis

[edit] Great Britain

According to the National Trust Names project based out of University College London, the surname Ferrer is classified as "Imported from abroad; Hispanic; Catalan". Statistically it is a very uncommon surname in Great Britain. In the 1881 census there are 83 Ferrers recorded, with an average of 3 occurrences per million surnames. Also in 1881 it was ranked as the 19,011th most common surname. In the 1996 electoral register 185 Ferrers were recorded, with an average of 5 occurrences per million surnames, while it was ranked as the 17,724th most common surname.^[9] Distribution: in 1881 the Northampton postal area had the highest rate of occurrences of Ferrer per million surnames. By 1998 the highest postal area per million was East Central London.^[9]

[edit] Ethnicity of forenames of people bearing the surname Ferrer in Great Britain

Ethnicity of forenames	% of occurrences in Great Britain
British, or Unknown origin	77.87
-- English, or Unknown origin	76.28
-- Irish	0.79
-- Scottish	0.40
-- Welsh	0.40
French	1.19
German or Dutch	0.79
Hispanic	14.23
Italian	3.95
Black African	0.79
Other Muslim	0.40
Indian	0.40
-- Hindi	0.40
East Asian	0.40

Source: National Trust Names website.^[9]

[edit] Australia

In 2002 Northern Territory was the state or territory with the highest rate of the surname per million people, with a rate of 681% of the Australian average.^[9]

[edit] New Zealand

In 2002 Canterbury was the region with the highest rate of the surname per million people, with a rate of 434% of the national average.^[9]

[edit] United States of America

In 1990 Florida was the state with the highest rate of the surname per million people, with a rate of 414% of the national average.^[9]

[edit] Comparison between Great Britain and the World (per million occurrences of the surname)

International Comparisons	Rate	Rate as %
Great Britain (1998)	5	100
Great Britain (1881)	3
Australia	19.90	349.8
Canada	24.20	425.4
New Zealand	3.94	69.2
United States of America	42.75	751.4

Source: National Trust Names website.^[9]

[edit] Footnotes