The Ferrell surname

In the 2010 U.S. Census, 33,418 people carried this name — #1,043 among all U.S. surnames, about 1 in every 8,830 people counted. That is up 4% from 32,174 in 2000.

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In the first U.S. census, 1790

65 families named Ferrell, or a close spelling, were counted in 1790.

Each family is counted by its head. About 354 people lived in those households, 5.4 to a family on average. The table counts it together with 10 other spellings. 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

North Carolina 32
Maryland 10
Virginia 9
Pennsylvania 5
Vermont 3
New York 2
South Carolina 2
Massachusetts 1
Connecticut 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

Ferrell in American newspapers,
1899–1904.

Newspaper page from San Antonio Daily Light carrying the name Ferrell
San Antonio Daily Light 1904-11-01
Newspaper page from San Antonio Daily Light carrying the name Ferrell
San Antonio Daily Light 1899-11-04
Newspaper page from The Butte Inter Mountain carrying the name Ferrell
The Butte Inter Mountain 1901-10-29

Chronicling America, Library of Congress — digitised newspapers in the public domain · 50,330 pages in all carry the name.

In print

Ferrell in Australian newspapers,
1840s–1990s.

742 articles name a Mr, Mrs or Miss Ferrell. The most, 178, date from the 1920s. New South Wales has the most articles, but weighed against how much of each state’s press from the same decades has been digitised, the name stands out most in Tasmania, at 1.9 times its expected share.

Articles, by state

New South Wales 247
Queensland 115
Western Australia 113
Tasmania 90
Victoria 88
South Australia 84
ACT (Canberra) 3

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

Who carried it

People named Ferrell,
with a public archive behind them.

  • Thomas M. Ferrell
    Thomas M. Ferrell 1844–1916 · politician
  • Mary-Russell Ferrell Colton
    Mary-Russell Ferrell Colton 1889–1971 · historian
  • Rick Ferrell
    Rick Ferrell 1905–1995 · baseball player
  • Wes Ferrell
    Wes Ferrell 1908–1976 · baseball player
  • Harrison Herbert Ferrell Jr. 1900–1977 · dean
  • Marguerite Ferrell 1910–1999 · journalist

Wikidata (CC0) · portraits via Wikimedia Commons, shown cropped, in the public domain or CC0 · 10 lives in all are documented under this name.

In the public record

People named Ferrell,
in the records of 5 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 States1,816 records

1,816 records of the Ferrell name in the United States
  • U.S. Army enlistment records, World War II 1,150
  • U.S. veterans' cemetery records, burials to 2001 427
  • New York City birth, marriage and death certificates 117
  • U.S. alien registration index, 1940–1955 31
  • Passenger arrivals in the United States, 1820–1912 30
  • New York State death index (outside NYC), 1957–2001 30
  • Irish Famine arrivals at New York, 1846–1851 13
  • U.S. service members who died in the Vietnam War 10
  • U.S. service members who died in the Korean War 5
  • Sacramento County historic burials 3
  1. Names engraved on the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, Washington, D.C.
    Example: U.S. war memorial
    War record Charles Elton Ferrell

    Born 1940; from Lawton, Oklahoma. U.S. Army, air observation pilot; killed in action 1969 in Kontum, South Vietnam. Buried at Fort Bliss National Cemetery, Texas.

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

    Born 1924 in Virginia. Enlisted 1944 at Richmond; construction laborer from Loudoun County. U.S. Army veteran of World War II; died 1988, buried at Quantico National Cemetery, Virginia.

    U.S. National Archives, WWII Army Enlistment Records (public domain); U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Gravesite Locator (CC0)
  3. A passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, arriving at New York in 1903
    Example: passenger manifest, 1903
    Passenger record Eliza Ferrell

    Arrived at New York in 1873 aboard the Oceanic from Liverpool and Queenstown, aged 19; servant. From Ireland.

    U.S. National Archives, Castle Garden Immigration Center Collection, Ship Passenger Records (unrestricted)

Showing 3 of 1,816 records for Ferrell in the United States.

Counts: U.S. National Archives, WWII Army Enlistment Records (public domain) · U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Gravesite Locator (CC0) · NYC Department of Records & Information Services, Historical Vital Records (NYC Open Data) · U.S. National Archives, Flexoline Index Data File (public domain) · U.S. National Archives, Castle Garden Immigration Center Collection, Ship Passenger Records (unrestricted) · 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). 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); Passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, New York, 1903 (public domain).

Australia54 records

54 records of the Ferrell name in Australia
  • Victoria passenger lists, 1839–1923 31
  • Tasmanian Names Index 8
  • Queensland State Archives indexes 6
  • Victoria wills and probate, deaths to 2001 5
  • NSW convict, estate and railway indexes 4
  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 Arthur Ferrell

    Transported to New South Wales aboard the Champion, arriving 1827; ticket of leave 1837. Native of London.

    Museums of History NSW – State Archives Collection (CC BY)
  2. A passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, arriving at New York in 1903
    Example: passenger manifest, 1903
    Passenger record Mary A. Ferrell

    Arrived in Victoria in 1857 aboard the Herald of the Morning, aged 23; English.

    Public Record Office Victoria (CC BY 4.0)
  3. A petition to the probate court of St. Louis, 1848
    Example: probate petition, 1848
    Probate record Joseph I. Ferrell

    Despatch clerk of Sth Yarra, Victoria; died 1950.

    Public Record Office Victoria (CC BY 4.0)

Showing 3 of 54 records for Ferrell in Australia.

Counts: Public Record Office Victoria (CC BY 4.0) · Libraries Tasmania, Tasmanian Names Index (CC BY 4.0) · Queensland State Archives (CC BY 4.0) · Museums of History NSW – State Archives Collection (CC BY). 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); Passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, New York, 1903 (public domain); Petition to the probate court, St. Louis, 1848, Missouri Historical Society (public domain).

Canada11 records

11 records of the Ferrell name in Canada
  • Nova Scotia Archives name indexes 5
  • Canadian Virtual War Memorial 2
  • Ontario immigration records, 1865–1883 2
  • Mountain View Cemetery, Vancouver 2
  1. The first page of an emigration file from Gündlingen, Baden, 1883
    Example: German emigration file, 1883
    Emigration record Sally Ferrell

    Left New York in 1783 aboard the Lady's Adventure, bound for St. Johns, aged 22.

    Nova Scotia Archives. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Nova Scotia.
  2. Fairview Lawn Cemetery in Halifax, Nova Scotia
    Example: Canadian cemetery
    Burial record Bertie Ferrell

    Buried in 1987 at Mountain View Cemetery, Vancouver, British Columbia.

    City of Vancouver. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Vancouver.
  3. A Canadian First World War grave register card for a soldier who died of wounds in 1917
    Example: Canadian war grave register, 1917
    War record Patrick Ferrell

    Died in service in 1916.

    Veterans Affairs Canada. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Canada.

Showing 3 of 11 records for Ferrell in Canada.

Counts: Nova Scotia Archives. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Nova Scotia. · Veterans Affairs Canada. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Canada. · Archives of Ontario. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Ontario. · City of Vancouver. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Vancouver. 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); Fairview Lawn Cemetery, Halifax, photo by Edgar El (CC BY 3.0); Canadian First World War circumstances-of-death register (scan by Scottgraham87 via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0).

United Kingdom2 records

2 records of the Ferrell name in the United Kingdom
  • War Office casualty lists, 1917–1919, among the dead 1
  • St James's burial ground, Euston (London), 1789–1853 1
  1. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record Martha Ferrell

    Buried in 1841 at St James's burial ground, Euston, London, aged 72.

    MOLA and HS2, St James's burial ground data. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.
  2. A First World War roll of honour of the staff of C. & E. Morton Ltd
    Example: roll of honour, 1914–1919
    War record H. J. Ferrell

    Royal Engineers. Listed among the dead in the War Office casualty list of 1918.

    National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain)

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

Netherlands1 record

1 record of the Ferrell name in the Netherlands Dutch church registers before 1811
  1. A marriage entry in the civil register of Tilburg, 1911
    Example: marriage register, 1911
    Marriage record Ferdinandus Ferrell

    Married in 1636 in Bergen op Zoom; born in Ireland.

    Open Archives, West Brabants Archief (CC BY 4.0)

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).

Nearby in the index

Surnames next to Ferrell.

When the index is not enough

This page says where Ferrell is.
A volume says what happened to it.

Every page in the index is free and stays free. The Heritage Volume is the long form: the full paper trail, the arms, the crossing — bound, and yours.

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