NameCensus.

UK surname

Ferries

A surname derived from the occupation of operating a ferry or boat transport service.

In the 1881 census there were 263 people recorded with the Ferries surname, ranking it #10,692 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 479, ranked #10,308, up from #10,692 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Birse, Govan Combination and Glasgow. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Cromar and Kildrummy, Newton Stewart and Crathes and Torphins.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Ferries is 479 in 2016. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 82.1%.

1881 census count

263

Ranked #10,692

Modern count

479

2016, ranked #10,308

Peak year

2016

479 bearers

Map years

8

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Ferries had 263 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #10,692 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 479 in 2016, ranked #10,308.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 400 in 1901.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Established but Challenged.

Ferries surname distribution map

The map shows where the Ferries surname is concentrated in each census or modern distribution year. Darker areas mean a stronger local concentration.

Distribution map

Ferries surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Ferries over time

The table below tracks recorded surname counts and rank from the 19th-century census years through the modern adult-register period.

Year Period Count Rank
1851 historical 173 #11,629
1861 historical 186 #12,751
1881 historical 263 #10,692
1891 historical 386 #9,138
1901 historical 400 #9,483
1911 historical 95 #23,294
1997 modern 433 #10,375
1998 modern 443 #10,526
1999 modern 451 #10,435
2000 modern 457 #10,300
2001 modern 450 #10,226
2002 modern 446 #10,521
2003 modern 442 #10,434
2004 modern 437 #10,557
2005 modern 431 #10,558
2006 modern 443 #10,369
2007 modern 449 #10,350
2008 modern 433 #10,776
2009 modern 446 #10,755
2010 modern 460 #10,719
2011 modern 457 #10,651
2012 modern 447 #10,720
2013 modern 462 #10,618
2014 modern 475 #10,472
2015 modern 477 #10,369
2016 modern 479 #10,308

Geography

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Where Ferries' are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Birse, Govan Combination, Glasgow, Lumphanan and Penninghame. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Cromar and Kildrummy, Newton Stewart, Crathes and Torphins, Howe of Alford and Kirkcudbright. Treat these as concentration signals, not proof that every family line began there.

Top historical parishes

Rank Parish Area
1 Birse Aberdeen
2 Govan Combination Lanark
3 Glasgow Lanark
4 Lumphanan Aberdeen
5 Penninghame Wigtown

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Cromar and Kildrummy Aberdeenshire
2 Newton Stewart Dumfries and Galloway
3 Crathes and Torphins Aberdeenshire
4 Howe of Alford Aberdeenshire
5 Kirkcudbright Dumfries and Galloway

Forenames

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First names often paired with Ferries

These lists show first names that appear often with the Ferries surname in historical and recent records.

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Ferries

Modern surname records can be compared with neighbourhood classifications. For Ferries, this points to the kinds of places where the surname is most concentrated today.

These neighbourhood labels describe areas, not individual people. They are useful because surnames often cluster through family history, migration, housing patterns and local work. A surname can be strongest in one type of neighbourhood even when people with that name live across the country.

The UK classification gives the national picture. The London classification is more specific to the capital, where housing, age profile, tenure and population mix can look quite different from the rest of the UK.

UK neighbourhood type

UK Output Area Classification

Supergroup

Semi- and Un-Skilled Workforce

Group

Established but Challenged

Nationally, the Ferries surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as Established but Challenged, within Semi- and Un-Skilled Workforce. This does not mean every Ferries household fits that profile, but it gives a useful signal about where the modern surname distribution is strongest.

Read profile summary

Group profile

Many households in these neighbourhoods comprise separated or divorced single parents with dependent children. Residents are typically born in the UK, and these neighbourhoods have relatively few members of ethnic minorities. The prevalence of children, their parents and those at or above normal retirement age, suggests neighbourhood structures may be long-established. Levels of unpaid care are high, and long-term disability is more common than in the Supergroup as a whole. Use of the social rented sector is common, often in terraced houses. Levels of overcrowding are above the Supergroup average. Unemployment is high, while those in work are employed in elementary occupations such as caring, leisure and customer services. Many residents have low level qualifications. Neighbourhood concentrations of this Group are found in the South Wales Valleys, Belfast, Londonderry and the Central Lowlands of Scotland.

Wider pattern

Living in terraced or semi-detached houses, residents of these neighbourhoods typically lack high levels of education and work in elementary or routine service occupations. Unemployment is above average. Residents are predominantly born in the UK, and residents are also predominantly from ethnic minorities. Social (but not private sector) rented sector housing is common. This Supergroup is found throughout the UK’s conurbations and industrial regions but is also an integral part of smaller towns.

London neighbourhood type

London Output Area Classification

Supergroup

The Greater London Mix

Group

Social Rented Sector Professional Support Workers

Within London, Ferries is most associated with areas classed as Social Rented Sector Professional Support Workers, part of The Greater London Mix. This gives the surname a London-specific profile rather than forcing the capital into the same pattern as the rest of the country.

Read profile summary

Group profile

Mainly located in Inner London, these neighbourhoods retain a diverse employment structure, with some concentration in associated professional and technical occupations rather than skilled trades or construction. Social renting is more common and levels of homeownership are low. Many residents identify as Black. There is a lower than average rate of marriage or civil partnership, few that are very old (85 or over) and higher than average incidence of disability.

Wider London pattern

A Supergroup embodying London's diversity in many respects, apart from low numbers of residents identifying as of Bangladeshi, Indian, Pakistani or Other (non-Chinese) Asian ethnicity. There is lower than average prevalence of families with dependent children, while there are above average occurrences of never-married individuals and single-person households. The age distribution is skewed towards younger, single residents and couples without children, with many individuals identifying as of mixed or multiple ethnicity. Social rented or private rented housing is slightly more prevalent than average, and many residents live in flats. Individuals typically work in professional and associated roles in public administration, education or health rather than in elementary occupations in agriculture, energy, water, construction or manufacturing. Incidence of students is slightly below average. Individuals declaring no religion are more prevalent than average and non-use of English at home is below average.

Healthy neighbourhoods

Access to healthy assets and hazards

Ferries is most concentrated in decile 1 for access to healthy assets and hazards. This places the surname towards the less healthy end of the index.

Lower deciles point towards weaker access to healthy assets or stronger exposure to local hazards. Higher deciles point towards stronger access and fewer hazards.

1
Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

Ferries falls in decile 5 for neighbourhood deprivation. This puts the surname near the middle of the scale.

Decile 1 represents the more deprived end of the scale. Decile 10 represents the less deprived end.

5
More deprived Less deprived

Broadband speed

Fixed broadband download speed

The modern neighbourhood pattern for Ferries is most associated with a typical fixed broadband download band of 30-40 mbit/s.

The scale below places that band in context, from slower local download bands through to faster ones.

6
Slower band Faster band

Area snapshot

Ethnic group estimate

Most common ethnic group estimate
White - British

This describes the area pattern most associated with Ferries, not the ethnicity of every person with the surname.

Meaning and origin of Ferries

The surname "FERRIES" originated in England during the medieval period. It is derived from the Old English words "feor" meaning far and "risc" meaning rushes, referring to people who lived near a distant reed bed or marsh. The earliest recorded spelling of the name was Ferriss in the Hundred Rolls of Oxfordshire in 1273.

The name has several variations, including Ferris, Ferres, Ferres, and Feries, which were used interchangeably in early records. It is also believed to be related to the place name "Ferrieres" in Normandy, France, suggesting that some bearers of the name may have arrived in England after the Norman Conquest in 1066.

One of the earliest recorded bearers of the name was William Ferris, who was mentioned in the Pipe Rolls of Surrey in 1198. Another notable figure was Sir Ralph Ferres, a 14th-century English knight who fought in the Hundred Years' War against France.

During the 16th and 17th centuries, the Ferries surname was particularly prevalent in the counties of Essex, Suffolk, and Norfolk in eastern England. In the 1600s, several members of the Ferries family were among the early Puritan settlers who emigrated to the Massachusetts Bay Colony in America, including Jeffrey Ferries, who arrived in Boston in 1635.

In the 18th century, John Ferries (1743-1826) was a prominent English naval officer who served during the American Revolutionary War and later became a Member of Parliament. Another notable bearer of the name was George Ferries (1797-1884), a Scottish engineer and inventor who patented several improvements to the steam engine.

Other historical figures with the Ferries surname include Walter Ferries (1839-1901), an English landscape painter, and James Ferries (1873-1957), a Scottish footballer who played for several clubs in the early 20th century.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Ferries families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Ferries surname. Use the location tables for concentration, then the name and occupation tables for the people behind the surname.

Top counties

Total is the county count. Frequency and index adjust for local population size, so they are better concentration signals. Aberdeenshire leads with 86 Ferries' recorded in 1881 and an index of 36.06x.

County Total Index
Aberdeenshire 86 36.06x
Lanarkshire 31 3.72x
Kincardineshire 19 60.59x
Kirkcudbrightshire 15 40.24x
Middlesex 13 0.50x
Lancashire 11 0.36x
Morayshire 11 27.49x
Renfrewshire 11 5.51x
Ayrshire 10 5.19x
Devon 10 1.87x
Wigtownshire 9 26.32x
Hampshire 8 1.52x
Surrey 5 0.40x
Banffshire 3 5.62x
Northumberland 3 0.78x
Angus 2 0.84x
Derbyshire 2 0.50x
Fife 2 1.31x
Glamorgan 2 0.45x
Midlothian 2 0.58x
Staffordshire 2 0.23x
Stirlingshire 2 2.11x
Argyllshire 1 1.39x
Dunbartonshire 1 1.45x
Gloucestershire 1 0.20x
Hertfordshire 1 0.56x
Leicestershire 1 0.35x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Leochel Cushnie in Aberdeenshire leads with 23 Ferries' recorded in 1881 and an index of 2149.53x.

Place Total Index
Leochel Cushnie 23 2149.53x
Govan 15 7.28x
Minnigaff 15 1071.43x
Aberdeen Old Machar 14 28.12x
Dalmellington 10 176.37x
Penninghame 9 257.88x
South Brent 9 782.61x
Banchory Devenick 8 273.04x
Banchory Ternan 8 295.20x
Portsea 8 7.73x
Edinkillie 7 673.08x
Barony 6 2.85x
Cambusnethan 6 32.43x
East Greenock 6 31.83x
Kensington London 6 4.19x
Lumphanan 6 600.00x
Newhills 6 122.95x
Aberdeen St Nicholas 5 11.21x
Birse 5 515.46x
Camberwell 5 3.04x
St Pancras London 5 2.41x
Tough 5 833.33x
Abbey 4 13.14x
Barrow In Furness 4 9.62x
Forres 4 95.01x
Glasgow 4 2.70x
Logie Coldstone 4 500.00x
Toxteth Park 4 3.87x
Alford 3 230.77x
Chapel Of Garioch 3 176.47x
Benholm 2 148.15x
Castle Church 2 38.31x
Edinburgh St Cuthberts 2 1.44x
Fairfield 2 74.07x
Great Crosby 2 24.01x
Kennethmont 2 224.72x
Llanwonno 2 12.41x
Longbenton 2 12.32x
Strathdon 2 172.41x
Ashton Under Lyne 1 1.50x
Banff 1 21.55x
Bonhill 1 9.00x
Castle Donnington 1 42.19x
Charleton 1 208.33x
Cheltenham 1 2.57x
Coull 1 142.86x
Deskford 1 131.58x
Dundee 1 1.12x
Dunfermline 1 4.27x
Erskine 1 68.97x
Glenbervie 1 116.28x
Glenmuick Tullich 1 58.14x
Haltwhistle 1 53.76x
Keith 1 17.57x
Keithhall 1 128.21x
Kennoway 1 71.94x
Kilmore Kilbride 1 21.98x
Kintore 1 48.31x
Larbert 1 17.61x
Montrose 1 6.92x
Old Deer 1 22.12x
Peterculter 1 59.52x
Premnay 1 121.95x
Rayne 1 88.50x
Sawbridgeworth 1 37.17x
St George Hanover Square 1 2.20x
St Marylebone London 1 0.73x
Stirling 1 8.35x

Top female names

These are the female first names most often recorded with the Ferries surname in 1881. Names are not merged, so initials, variant spellings and transcription quirks can appear as separate rows.

Name Count
Mary 6
Elizabeth 4
Annie 2
Ellen 2
Jane 2
Rosa 2
Sarah 2
Ada 1
Agnes 1
Bridget 1
Elizth. 1
Emily 1
Eva 1
Fanny 1
Hannah 1
Harriet 1
Julia 1
Louisa 1
Maggie 1
Margaret 1
Susan 1

Top male names

These are the male first names most often recorded with the Ferries surname in 1881. Names are not merged, so initials, variant spellings and transcription quirks can appear as separate rows.

Name Count
James 5
John 5
Thomas 3
Henry 2
Samuel 2
E. 1
Edward 1
George 1
MC 1
Patrick 1
Reginald 1
Robert 1
Uriah 1
William 1

Top occupations

Occupational titles are kept as recorded and later transcribed, so related jobs, spelling variants and mistakes stay separate. Scholar was the census term for a child in education. That means the other rows often tell you more about adult work in Ferries households.

FAQ

Ferries surname: questions and answers

How common was the Ferries surname in 1881?

In 1881, 263 people were recorded with the Ferries surname. That placed it at #10,692 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Ferries surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 479 in 2016. That gives Ferries a modern rank of #10,308.

What does the Ferries surname mean?

A surname derived from the occupation of operating a ferry or boat transport service.

What does the Ferries map show?

The map shows local surname concentration for the selected year. Darker areas have a stronger concentration of Ferries bearers relative to the surrounding population.

What records is this surname page based on?

The historical counts come from census surname records. The modern counts and neighbourhood summaries come from later surname distribution records. Counts are recorded bearers in those records, not a live estimate of everyone with the name today.