Ferdinand History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
Germany
Portugal
Spain

The German surname Ferdinand came to Austria in the 15th century with the Spanish Hapsburg dynasty. It is ultimately derived from the Spanish elements "faro," meaning "journey" and "nano," meaning "brave."

Early Origins of the Ferdinand family

The surname Ferdinand was first found in Austria, where the name Ferdinand became noted for its many branches, each house acquiring a status and influence which was envied by the princes of the region. As the family grew more powerful some of its more distinguished members were eventually elevated to the ranks of nobility.

Early History of the Ferdinand family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Ferdinand research. Another 72 words (5 lines of text) covering the years 1503, 1564, 1577, 1650, 1721, 1792, 1793 and 1875 are included under the topic Early Ferdinand History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Ferdinand Spelling Variations

In the medieval era, many different cultural groups lived in the German states. There are thus many regional variations of German surnames from that era. Westphalians spoke Low German, which is similar to modern Dutch. Many German names carry suffixes that identify where they came from. Others have phrases attached that identify something about the original bearer. Other variations in German names resulted from the fact that medieval scribes worked without the aid of any spelling rules. The spelling variations of the name Ferdinand include Ferdinand, Ferdinande, Ferddinand, Ferdinnand, Ferdinnande, Ferdendand, Ferdenande, Ferdennand, Verdinand, Verdinande, Verddinand, Verdinnand and many more.

Early Notables of the Ferdinand family

Notables of the time with the name Ferdinand included

many European rulers and princes. The Ferdinand name was one of the Hereditary names used by the powerful Hapsburg family. Among them were: Ferdinand I (1503-1564) Holy Roman emperor, son of Philip th...
Ferdinand (1577-1650) Elector and Archbishop of Cologne, son of William V, duke of Bavaria
Ferdinand I (1793-1875) emperor of Austria. In addition to numerous rulers, there were also other nobility bearing the name, such as Ferdinand, duke of Brunswick (1721-1792)

Ferdinand Ranking

In the United States, the name Ferdinand is the 18,236^th most popular surname with an estimated 2,487 people with that name. 1

Ferdinand migration to the United States +

Immigrants bearing the name Ferdinand or a variant listed above include:

Ferdinand Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Juan Jose Ferdinand, aged 32, who landed in New Orleans, La in 1835 2
John Ferdinand, who arrived in Mississippi in 1836 2
Simon Ferdinand, who arrived in Virginia in 1887 2

Ferdinand migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Ferdinand Settlers in Canada in the 18th Century

Mr. Peter Ferdinand U.E. who settled in New Brunswick c. 1784 member of the Port Matoon Association 3

Contemporary Notables of the name Ferdinand (post 1700) +

James Ferdinand, American politician, Burgess of Freeland, Pennsylvania, 1954-56 4
Francis Ferdinand (1863-1914), Austrian archduke, whose assassination by a Serbian nationalist provoked the beginning of World War I
Peter Ferdinand Drucker (1909-2005), American management consultant and recipient of the Presidential Medal of Freedom
Ludwig Ferdinand Huber (1764-1804), or Louis Ferdinand Huber, a German translator, diplomat, playwright, literary critic, and journalist, born in Paris
David Ferdinand Durenberger (1934-2023), American Republican politician, U.S. Senator from Minnesota, 1978-95 5
Friedrich Ferdinand von Beust (1809-1886), Austrian politician, born in Dresden, the descendant of the ancient Brandenburg family which was long settled in Saxony
Lieven Ferdinand de Beaufort (1879-1968), Dutch biologist
Adolph Ferdinand Gehlen (1775-1815), German chemist from Bütow, Farther Pomerania who died from arsenic poisoning in Munich on 16 July 1815, age 39
William Ferdinand Morgan (1816-1888), American Democratic Party politician, Episcopal priest; Speaker, Democratic National Convention, 1868 6
Almon Ferdinand Rockwell (b. 1899), American politician, U.S. Vice Consul in Brussels, 1921-22; Frankfort, 1924 7

Citations +

"What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
Filby, P. William, Meyer, Mary K., Passenger and immigration lists index : a guide to published arrival records of about 500,000 passengers who came to the United States and Canada in the seventeenth, eighteenth, and nineteenth centuries. 1982-1985 Cumulated Supplements in Four Volumes Detroit, Mich. : Gale Research Co., 1985, Print (ISBN 0-8103-1795-8)
Rubincam, Milton. The Old United Empire Loyalists List. Genealogical Publishing Co., Inc, 1976. (Originally published as; United Empire Loyalists. The Centennial of the Settlement of Upper Canada. Rose Publishing Company, 1885.) ISBN 0-8063-0331-X
The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2016, January 12) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html
The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, October 28) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html
The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, November 2) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html
The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2016, June 10) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html