Ferrell
Masculine · “man of valor”
Ferrell is given to both — 1,911 boys and 162 girls since 1880. See other names given to both
The first syllable of this name is not the English word it looks like. It is the Irish for a man — the ordinary noun, the one that opens a whole set of Irish names about what kind of man somebody was — and it has nothing whatever to do with fear or ferrous or anything else it resembles.
How old is the name Ferrell?
Ferrell first appears in US birth records in 1897 — 128 years ago. The typical Ferrell alive today was born around 1942, making them about 83 years old. About 900 people named Ferrell are estimated to be alive in the US today.
When was the name Ferrell most popular?
Ferrell peaked in 1935, reaching #915 nationally. See the whole 1935 chart.
Where it comes from
From Fearghal to Ferrell
The story of Ferrell
That element opens a small family of names describing men by a quality. Fearghal is the man of valor, Feardorcha is the dark man, Fearghus joins the same word to one meaning vigor, and there are others. The construction is completely regular and productive, in the way that English once made names like Goodman and Freeman, and it means the names in question are descriptions of adults rather than wishes for children. Somebody was called man of valor because that is what he was, or what the person naming him wanted to claim.
Meaning
man of valor
Two Irish elements joined, one meaning a man and one meaning valor or courage. The surname is a patronymic built on that personal name, and the derivation is not disputed.
How the name formed
- Fearghal
- Ó Fearghail
- Ferrell
Related forms: Fearghal
Pronouncing Ferrell
FERR-ul
Two syllables with the stress at the front. Some families put it on the second instead, saying fuh-RELL, and both are heard.
Nicknames for Ferrell
Moderate
What the data says
146 years of official birth records
The long climb, and where it stands now
The same years in position rather than babies
- First recorded
- 1897
- Most boys named
- 194246 — the highest on record
- Peak rank
- #915reached in 1935
- Change vs 2013
- −14.3%6 in 2015, from 7
Rank is a position, a count is a headcount, and they move independently — a name can hold its rank while the number of babies behind it falls. Source: U.S. Social Security Administration.
Ferrell in other languages
The same name elsewhere
- Fearghal in Irish — related form
Ferrells among us
people named Ferrell are estimated to be alive in the US today
Estimated from SSA birth records and published actuarial life tables. Method
Is it right for you
Questions parents actually ask
Fashion outlook
Ferrell sits outside the current charts, and that is its own kind of answer: naming cycles can only date the names they carried up. A name this rare has no decade stamped on it — it cannot go out of fashion, because it was never in.
Based on 146 years of naming cycles. How we read them
The trade-off
- The meaning is strong, specific and easy to explain.
- It belongs to a genuine Irish surname rather than being assembled.
- The spelling gives no trouble once the stress is placed.
- Farrell is at least as common and the two are treated as one name.
- The stress placement is unsettled and strangers will guess.
- The spelling is recorded for a few girls, but nearly every child with it is a boy.
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What they receive
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Ferrell
Masculine
Frequently asked
- How many Ferrells are there in the world?
- No country counts the world's names, so there is no worldwide figure — anyone quoting one is estimating. About 900 people named Ferrell are estimated to be alive in the US today.
- How popular is the name Ferrell in 2025?
- Ferrell is rarely given in the US today — it does not rank in the top 2000 boy names.
- Will my child share the name Ferrell with classmates?
- Ferrell will almost certainly be the only one in school.
More F names
The most-given names starting with F, all years combined.
Frank#513 · Fred#1932 · Francis#420 · Frederick#435 · Floyd#2230 · Francisco#322 · Franklin#359 · Fernando#387
Looking for what else is popular rather than what resembles Ferrell? See the current top 100.
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US figures from the Social Security Administration. 1880–2025. Data & methodology
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