Ferdinand History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
Germany
Portugal
Spain

The Ferdinand surname is a patronymic form, created from the personal name Fernando. 1 This is one of the most common surnames in Portugal. Fernandes is the 243rd most common surname in the world.

The name Ferdinand demonstrates the influence that Spanish often had on the Portuguese culture and surnames as it is composed of the Spanish words "faro" (journey, expedition) and "nano" (daring and brave). Combined, these two words may have been used a nickname surname; that is, as a surname that somehow describe a characteristic of its original bearer. Some think that this name may have been historically used by those engaged against the Moors.

Early Origins of the Ferdinand family

The surname Ferdinand was first found in Iberian peninsula. The name Ferdinand and its many variants were one of the most popular surnames in Medieval Portugal and Spain, and remains among the most common on the Iberian Peninsula today. The earliest known Portuguese record of the name notes that Diogo Fernandes Correia held the office of Administrator of Flanders for King John II.

Early History of the Ferdinand family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Ferdinand research. Another 51 words (4 lines of text) covering the years 1394, 1445, 1446, 1453, 1455, 1456, 1460, 1475, 1488, 1495, 1498, 1501, 1511, 1542, 1563, 1569, 1576, 1580, 1595, 1596, 1605, 1606, 1614, 1636, 1642, 1654 and 1667 are included under the topic Early Ferdinand History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Ferdinand Spelling Variations

Spelling variations of this family name include: Fernant, Farrant, Hernando, Hernan, Hernanz, Fernando, Fernan, Fernao, Ferrao, Hernandez, Hernaez, Hernaiz, Fernandez, Ferrandez, Ferrandiz, Fernandes and many more.

Early Notables of the Ferdinand family

Prominent members of the family include António Fernandes, a Portuguese explorers of the early 15th century. He was raised in the household of Prince Henry "the Navigator" of Portugal (1394-1460), and lead expeditions to Africa. João Fernandes was another 15th century Portuguese explorer, of West Africa, where he was a pioneer of the European slave and gold trade, and...
Another 59 words (4 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Ferdinand Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

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. 2

Ferdinand migration to the United States +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Ferdinand Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Juan Jose Ferdinand, aged 32, who landed in New Orleans, La in 1835 3
John Ferdinand, who arrived in Mississippi in 1836 3
Simon Ferdinand, who arrived in Virginia in 1887 3

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 4

Contemporary Notables of the name Ferdinand (post 1700) +

James Ferdinand, American politician, Burgess of Freeland, Pennsylvania, 1954-56 5
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 6
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 7
Almon Ferdinand Rockwell (b. 1899), American politician, U.S. Vice Consul in Brussels, 1921-22; Frankfort, 1924 8

Citations +

Hanks, Patricia and Flavia Hodges, A Dictionary of Surnames. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1988. Print. (ISBN 0-19-211592-8)
"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