The Ferguson surname

In the 2010 U.S. Census, 146,426 people carried this name — #188 among all U.S. surnames, about 1 in every 2,010 people counted. That is up 3% from 142,256 in 2000.

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What the name means

The meaning of the Ferguson surname

A surname transferred from the given name originating in Scotland from Clan Fergusson and now widespread in the English-speaking world.

From Fergus + -son, translation of Gaelic MacFhearguis, "son of Fergus".

From Wiktionary, the free dictionary (en.wiktionary.org) — entry «Ferguson» (English), by Wiktionary contributors · licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 (creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0) · excerpt, lightly adapted.

As an English and Welsh surname

Bardsley classes it as a baptismal name, from a given name: ‘the son of Fergus’.

An early record he cites: Gilbert fil. Fergusi, 1182 — Pipe Rolls of Cumberland, Westmorland and Durham. Fil. is Latin for “son of”.

His entry covers Ferguson, Fergusson, Farguson, Fargie and Fergie.

From Charles W. Bardsley, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames, with Special American Instances (London: Henry Frowde, 1901), p. 285 · public domain.

In Ireland’s birth registers, 1890

Ireland registered 133 births for the Ferguson name in 1890.

They were registered in all four provinces, most of all in Ulster. By the Registrar-General’s own method — births multiplied by 44.38 — that is about 5,900 people bearing the name in Ireland at the time. 3 of them were indexed under other spellings of the name. The Registrar-General’s note on the name: “Antrim, Down, and Londonderry.”

Where it concentrates, on the map

Where they were born, 1890

Ulster 107
Connacht 14
Leinster 11
Munster 1

Registrar-General for Ireland, «Special Report on Surnames in Ireland» (R. E. Matheson, 1894), births index of 1890 — public domain.

In Argentina’s national register

At least 92 people named Ferguson live in Argentina.

RENAPER only publishes a name in a province when more than ten people there share it, so the real number is higher. Most of them live in Buenos Aires Province.

Too few records to say where it concentrates region by region — these are plain counts, not shares.

Where they live today

Buenos Aires Province 41
Santa Fe 26
City of Buenos Aires 25

RENAPER (National Registry of Persons, Argentina), surnames of residents by province, December 2021 — CC BY 4.0.

In Switzerland’s population statistics

82 people named Ferguson live in Switzerland.

They live in 9 of Switzerland’s 26 cantons, most of all in Vaud.

Too few records to say where it concentrates region by region — these are plain counts, not shares.

Where they live today

Vaud 21
Zurich 17
Basel-Landschaft 12
Geneva 10
Bern 7
Aargau 5
Lucerne 4
Valais 3

Swiss Federal Statistical Office (FSO), «Surnames of the permanent resident population by canton», 2025, opendata.swiss/en/dataset/nachnamen-der-standigen-wohnbevolkerung-nach-kanton3 · names with fewer than 3 bearers in a canton are not published.

In France’s civil register

France’s register of deaths holds 45 people named Ferguson.

Most of them — 35 — were born outside France. Those born in France came from 5 départements, most often Alpes-Maritimes.

Too few records to say where it concentrates region by region — these are plain counts, not shares.

Where they were born

Born outside France 35
Alpes-Maritimes 3
Paris 3
French Guiana 2
Charente-Maritime 1
Nord 1

Fichier des personnes décédées, INSEE — Licence Ouverte 2.0 · deaths recorded in France since 1970, by place of birth.

In Poland’s population register

37 people named Ferguson have a registered home in Poland.

Of the 114 in Poland’s national register, these are the ones with a permanent address on file. They live in 8 of Poland’s 16 voivodeships, most of all in Masovian.

Too few records to say where it concentrates region by region — these are plain counts, not shares.

Where they live today

Masovian 14
Lower Silesian 7
Kuyavian-Pomeranian 4
Lesser Poland 3
Warmian-Masurian 3
Pomeranian 2
Holy Cross 2
Greater Poland 2

PESEL register, Ministry of Digital Affairs of Poland (dane.gov.pl) — CC0 · living people by voivodeship of permanent residence, 20 January 2026.

In the Nordic population registers

109 people named Ferguson are counted in Sweden and Finland.

Sweden’s figure is from 31 December 2022, the last count Statistics Sweden published. Finland counts its citizens, at home or abroad.

Counted, by country

Sweden (2022) 84
Finland (2026) 25

Own calculations based on data from Statistics Sweden (SCB), surnames with at least two bearers, 31 December 2022 — CC BY 4.0 (names with 20 or more bearers shown) · Digital and Population Data Services Agency (DVV), Finland, surname statistics, August 2026 — CC BY 4.0.

Among the farmers of England and Wales, 1880s

Ferguson was found among the farmers of 2 counties.

It was most frequent in Cumberland and Westmorland: 25 in every 10,000 farmers there — about 1 in 400. Guppy counted the farmers listed in each county’s directory and recorded a name only where it reached about 7 in every 10,000; where it does not appear, it was rarer than that, not absent.

Where it concentrates, on the map

Per 10,000 farmers, by county

Cumberland and Westmorland 25
Northumberland 11

H. B. Guppy, «Homes of Family Names in Great Britain» (London, 1890), alphabetical list of English and Welsh names — public domain · farmers in Kelly’s Post Office Directories of the 1880s, per 10,000 farmers in each county.

In Scotland, 1880s

Ferguson was 60 in every 10,000 names in Scotland.

That is about 1 in 167. Its home there, in Guppy’s words: “Well distributed.” He counted the more than 20,000 names in Halliburton’s County Directory of Scotland, taking Scotland as a whole, and listed only the names that reached 10 in every 10,000.

H. B. Guppy, «Homes of Family Names in Great Britain» (London, 1890), appendix: alphabetical list of the most frequent Scottish names, p. 588 — public domain · names in Halliburton’s County Directory of Scotland, per 10,000 for the whole country.

In Scotland’s registers today

Ferguson was recorded 443 times in Scotland’s registers of births, marriages and deaths in 2025.

That made it the 34th most common name in those registers, shared with others on the same count. In 1975, the first year of the series, the count was 694. Each birth counts the child’s surname, each marriage both partners’ and each death the surname of the person who died — a yearly count of registrations, not of the people who live in Scotland.

National Records of Scotland, «Most Common Surnames, 2025» (published 26 May 2026): every surname recorded 10 or more times in the 2025 registers, and the series from 1975 · different spellings are counted separately — © Crown copyright 2026. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.

In the first U.S. census, 1790

324 families named Ferguson, or a close spelling, were counted in 1790.

Each family is counted by its head. About 1,818 people lived in those households, 5.6 to a family on average. The census counted these spellings together: Ferguson, Fargurson, Fargusen, Farguson, Farguhaison, Fergason, Fergerson, Fergison, Fergueson, Fergusson, Forgason, Forgerson, Forgeson, Forgison, Forguson, Furgason, Furgerson, Furgeson, Furgesson, Furgison, Furguson, Furgusson. The table lists white heads of families only, in the twelve states whose 1790 records survive; Virginia’s figures come from state lists of 1782–1785.

Families, by state

New York 71
Pennsylvania 55
Virginia 55
North Carolina 50
Maryland 28
South Carolina 27
Massachusetts 16
Maine 7
New Hampshire 7
Connecticut 4
Vermont 3
Rhode Island 1

U.S. Census Bureau, «A Century of Population Growth from the First Census of the United States to the Twelfth, 1790–1900» (Washington, 1909), table 111, p. 240 — public domain · names carried by at least 100 white persons in 1790.

In print

Ferguson in American newspapers,
1857–1912.

Newspaper page from Bellevue Gazette carrying the name Ferguson
Bellevue Gazette 1857-12-03
Newspaper page from Evening Star carrying the name Ferguson
Evening Star 1908-07-25
Newspaper page from The Cairo Bulletin carrying the name Ferguson
The Cairo Bulletin 1912-05-16

Chronicling America, Library of Congress — digitised newspapers in the public domain · 830,046 pages in all carry the name.

In print

Ferguson in Australian newspapers,
1810s–2010s.

351,515 articles name a Mr, Mrs or Miss Ferguson. The most, 57,645, date from the 1930s.

Articles, by state

New South Wales 111,523
Queensland 83,177
Victoria 68,600
South Australia 33,751
Western Australia 33,399
Tasmania 18,641
ACT (Canberra) 1,783
Northern Territory 225

Trove, National Library of Australia (trove.nla.gov.au) · articles in its digitised newspapers that name a Mr, Mrs or Miss Ferguson.

Who carried it

People named Ferguson,
with a public archive behind them.

  • James Ferguson
    James Ferguson 1601–1705 · military personnel
  • Adam Ferguson
    Adam Ferguson 1723–1816 · writer
  • James Ferguson
    James Ferguson 1735–1820 · politician
  • Elizabeth Graeme Ferguson
    Elizabeth Graeme Ferguson 1737–1801 · writer
  • George Ferguson
    George Ferguson 1748–1820

Wikidata (CC0) · portraits via Wikimedia Commons, shown cropped, in the public domain or CC0 · 175 lives in all are documented under this name.

In the public record

People named Ferguson,
in the records of 8 countries.

Soldiers, farmers, migrants and neighbours who carried the name and left a trace in public archives. Everyone shown here died long ago or was born more than a century ago.

United States14,870 records

14,870 records of the Ferguson name in the United States
  • U.S. Army enlistment records, World War II 4,994
  • New York City birth, marriage and death certificates 2,869
  • Other U.S. records 7,007
  1. Names engraved on the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, Washington, D.C.
    Example: U.S. war memorial
    War record Douglas David Ferguson

    Born 1945; from Tacoma, Washington. U.S. Air Force, pilot; declared dead 1969 in Laos. Buried at Mount View Cemetery, Lakewood, Washington.

    U.S. National Archives, Defense Casualty Analysis System (public domain); U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Gravesite Locator (CC0)
  2. Names engraved on the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, Washington, D.C.
    Example: U.S. war memorial
    War record Carlos E. Ferguson

    Born 1930; from Greenbrier County, West Virginia. U.S. Army, light weapons infantryman; declared dead 1951 in South Korea. Buried at McElhenney Church Cemetery, Alderson, West Virginia.

    U.S. National Archives, Defense Casualty Analysis System (public domain); U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Gravesite Locator (CC0)
  3. A United States Selective Service registration card, 1942
    Example: U.S. registration card, 1942
    Military record Andrew F. Ferguson

    Born 1917 in Missouri. Enlisted 1942 at Jefferson Barracks; metal worker from St Louis City. U.S. Army veteran of World War II; died 1984, buried at Jefferson Barracks National Cemetery, Missouri.

    U.S. National Archives, WWII Army Enlistment Records (public domain); U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Gravesite Locator (CC0)

Showing 3 of 14,870 records for Ferguson in the United States.

Counts: U.S. National Archives, WWII Army Enlistment Records (public domain) · NYC Department of Records & Information Services, Historical Vital Records (NYC Open Data) · U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Gravesite Locator (CC0) · U.S. National Archives, Castle Garden Immigration Center Collection, Ship Passenger Records (unrestricted) · U.S. National Archives, Flexoline Index Data File (public domain) · New York State Department of Health, Genealogical Research Death Index · U.S. National Archives, Famine Irish Passenger Records (public domain) · U.S. National Archives, Defense Casualty Analysis System (public domain) · Sacramento County, Historic Burials (CC BY 4.0) · City of Asheville (public domain, PDDL) · New York State, Open NY (police and firefighter memorial rolls). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Vietnam Veterans Memorial, photo by U.S. Army Sgt. 1st Class Michael J. Carden, 2009 (public domain); U.S. Selective Service registration card, 1942 (public domain).

Australia7,840 records

7,840 records of the Ferguson name in Australia
  • Victoria passenger lists, 1839–1923 3,539
  • Victoria wills and probate, deaths to 2001 1,422
  • Other Australian records 2,879
  1. An 1829 etching of convicts being rowed out to the prison ship York in Portsmouth Harbour
    Pictured: convicts going on board a prison ship, 1829
    Transportation record Mary Ferguson

    Transported to Van Diemen's Land aboard the Navarino, sailing from London in 1840. Native of Sligo. Applied for permission to marry in Van Diemen's Land in 1845. Married 1845 in Launceston, Tasmania, aged 20.

    Libraries Tasmania, Tasmanian Names Index (CC BY 4.0)
  2. An 1829 etching of convicts being rowed out to the prison ship York in Portsmouth Harbour
    Pictured: convicts going on board a prison ship, 1829
    Transportation record James Ferguson

    Transported to Van Diemen's Land aboard the Medway, sailing from Downs in 1825. Native of Dublin, Dublin. Applied for permission to marry in Van Diemen's Land in 1837. Married 1838 in Campbell Town, Tasmania.

    Libraries Tasmania, Tasmanian Names Index (CC BY 4.0)
  3. An 1829 etching of convicts being rowed out to the prison ship York in Portsmouth Harbour
    Pictured: convicts going on board a prison ship, 1829
    Transportation record Ann Ferguson

    Transported to Van Diemen's Land aboard the Anna Maria, sailing from London in 1851. Native of Stirling, Stirlingshire. Applied for permission to marry in Van Diemen's Land in 1854. Married 1854 in Clarence, Tasmania, aged 23.

    Libraries Tasmania, Tasmanian Names Index (CC BY 4.0)

Showing 3 of 7,840 records for Ferguson in Australia.

Counts: Public Record Office Victoria (CC BY 4.0) · Queensland State Archives (CC BY 4.0) · Libraries Tasmania, Tasmanian Names Index (CC BY 4.0) · Museums of History NSW – State Archives Collection (CC BY) · State Library of Western Australia (CC BY 4.0) · National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain) · ACT Government, Transport Canberra and City Services (CC BY 4.0) · City of Ballarat, Avenue of Honour Plaques (CC BY 3.0 AU). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Prison-ship in Portsmouth Harbour, with the convicts going on board, etching by Edward William Cooke, 1829, Royal Museums Greenwich (public domain).

Canada3,832 records

3,832 records of the Ferguson name in Canada
  • Nova Scotia Archives name indexes 2,994
  • Mountain View Cemetery, Vancouver 230
  • Other Canadian records 608
  1. The first page of an emigration file from Gündlingen, Baden, 1883
    Example: German emigration file, 1883
    Emigration record Anthony Ferguson

    Left New York in 1783 aboard the Bridgewater, bound for St. Johns, aged 21.

    Nova Scotia Archives. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Nova Scotia.
  2. A passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, arriving at New York in 1903
    Example: passenger manifest, 1903
    Passenger record Thos Ferguson

    Came to Ontario in 1870 aboard the Ottawa, landing at Quebec, bound for Hamilton, Ontario; English.

    Archives of Ontario. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Ontario.
  3. Fairview Lawn Cemetery in Halifax, Nova Scotia
    Example: Canadian cemetery
    Burial record Alexandra Horton Ferguson

    Buried in 2001 at Fairview Lawn Cemetery, Halifax, Nova Scotia, aged 74.

    Halifax Regional Municipality. Contains information licenced under the Open Government Licence—Halifax.

Showing 3 of 3,832 records for Ferguson in Canada.

Counts: Nova Scotia Archives. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Nova Scotia. · City of Vancouver. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Vancouver. · Veterans Affairs Canada. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Canada. · City of Calgary. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – City of Calgary. · City of Winnipeg. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Winnipeg. · Halifax Regional Municipality. Contains information licenced under the Open Government Licence—Halifax. · Archives of Ontario. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Ontario. · National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain) · City of Niagara Falls. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Niagara Falls. · Contains information provided by the City of Waterloo under licence. Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Emigration file, Gündlingen, 1883, Landesarchiv Baden-Württemberg, Staatsarchiv Freiburg B 694/1 Nr. 1389 (CC BY 4.0); Passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, New York, 1903 (public domain); Fairview Lawn Cemetery, Halifax, photo by Edgar El (CC BY 3.0).

United Kingdom919 records

919 records of the Ferguson name in the United Kingdom
  • Stirling Council burial records 714
  • War Office casualty lists, 1917–1919, among the dead 134
  • Other British records 71
  1. A First World War roll of honour of the staff of C. & E. Morton Ltd
    Example: roll of honour, 1914–1919
    War record George Ferguson

    Born 1899 at Fyvie; farmer. Served in the First World War. Named in the Morayshire roll of honour (1921).

    National Library of Scotland, Rolls of Honour (public domain)
  2. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record Charles Ferguson

    Died 1948, aged 30; buried at Bannockburn Cemetery, Stirling, Scotland.

    Stirling Council. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.
  3. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record Mary Ferguson

    Buried in 1801 at St James's burial ground, Euston, London, aged 53.

    MOLA and HS2, St James's burial ground data. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.

Showing 3 of 919 records for Ferguson in the United Kingdom.

Counts: Stirling Council. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. · National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain) · National Library of Scotland, Rolls of Honour (public domain) · MOLA and HS2, St James's burial ground data. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. · National Library of Wales, Wills Index Cards (CC0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: C. & E. Morton Ltd roll of honour, 1914–1919, photo by Adrian S Pye via Geograph (CC BY-SA 2.0); Burial register of Newtown, Montgomeryshire, 1858, National Library of Wales (CC0).

Netherlands283 records

283 records of the Ferguson name in the Netherlands
  • Dutch population registers 149
  • Dutch civil registers (births, marriages, deaths) 111
  • Dutch church registers before 1811 23
  1. A marriage entry in the civil register of Tilburg, 1911
    Example: marriage register, 1911
    Marriage record George Helenus Ferguson

    Married in 1946 in Soest. Died 1956 in Soest, aged 69.

    Open Archives, Het Utrechts Archief (CC BY 4.0)
  2. A marriage entry in the civil register of Tilburg, 1911
    Example: marriage register, 1911
    Marriage record Sietske Henriette Neletta Ferguson

    Born 1851 in Kampen. Married in 1879 in Bergen op Zoom.

    Open Archives, Collectie Overijssel locatie Zwolle (CC BY 4.0); Open Archives, Brabants Historisch Informatie Centrum (CC BY 4.0)
  3. A marriage entry in the civil register of Tilburg, 1911
    Example: marriage register, 1911
    Marriage record Bernard Willem Ferguson

    Married in 1891 in Amsterdam. Died 1945 in Haarlem, aged 78.

    Open Archives, Noord-Hollands Archief (CC BY 4.0)

Showing 3 of 283 records for Ferguson in the Netherlands.

Counts: Open Archives (CC BY 4.0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Marriage register, Tilburg, 1911, Regionaal Archief Tilburg (public domain).

New Zealand191 records

191 records of the Ferguson name in New Zealand
  • Christchurch City cemetery records 139
  • Marlborough District cemetery records 18
  • Other New Zealand records 34
  1. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record Hugh Ferguson

    Died 1897, aged 23; buried at Addington Cemetery, Christchurch, Canterbury.

    Christchurch City Council (CC BY 4.0)
  2. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record Alexander Ferguson

    Buried in 1897 at Shortland Cemetery, Thames-Coromandel District, Waikato, aged 64.

    Thames-Coromandel District Council (CC BY 4.0)
  3. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record Jean Mavis Ferguson

    Died 2000, aged 84; buried at Seddon Cemetery, Marlborough.

    Marlborough District Council (CC BY 4.0)

Showing 3 of 191 records for Ferguson in New Zealand.

Counts: Christchurch City Council (CC BY 4.0) · Marlborough District Council (CC BY 4.0) · Waimakariri District Council (CC BY 4.0) · Thames-Coromandel District Council (CC BY 4.0) · National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Burial register of Newtown, Montgomeryshire, 1858, National Library of Wales (CC0).

France9 records

9 records of the Ferguson name in France France's national death register, 1970–2001
  1. A page of the death register of Nice, 1930
    Example: French death register, 1930
    Death record John Stuart Ferguson

    Born 1934 in Great Britain; died 1997 in La Motte-Saint-Jean (Saône-et-Loire).

    Insee, Fichier des personnes décédées (Licence Ouverte)

Showing 1 of 9 records for Ferguson in France.

Counts: Insee, Fichier des personnes décédées (Licence Ouverte). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Death register of Nice, 1930, Archives départementales des Alpes-Maritimes (public domain).

Ireland6 records

6 records of the Ferguson name in Ireland County Galway graveyard records
  1. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record Hugh Ferguson

    Died 1915, aged 68; buried at Kilcummin, Co. Galway.

    Galway County Council (CC BY 4.0)

Showing 1 of 6 records for Ferguson in Ireland.

Counts: Galway County Council (CC BY 4.0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Burial register of Newtown, Montgomeryshire, 1858, National Library of Wales (CC0).

Nearby in the index

Surnames next to Ferguson.

When the index is not enough

This page says where Ferguson is.
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