Ferrer History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
Italy
Portugal
Spain

Venice, one of the oldest and most beautiful island regions of Italy, is the esteemed birthplace of numerous prominent families, including the family that bears the surname Ferrer. Although people were originally known only by a single name, it became necessary for people to adopt a second name to identify themselves as populations grew and travel became more frequent. The process of adopting fixed hereditary surnames was not complete until the modern era, but the use of hereditary family names in Italy began in the 10th and 11th centuries. Italian hereditary surnames were developed according to fairly general principles and they are characterized by a profusion of derivatives coined from given names. Although the most common type of family name found in Venice is the patronymic surname, which is derived from the father's givenname, names derived from occupations are also found. Occupational surnames, which are less common than other types of surnames in Italy, date back to the feudal era. However, under the Feudal System, occupational names did not become hereditary until the offices themselves became hereditary. It was only after an occupation was inherited by several generations in lineal descent that occupational names came to be applied to entire families, and so became a hereditary surname. The surname Ferrer comes from the Latin word ferro which means iron. The family likely were blacksmiths.

Early Origins of the Ferrer family

The surname Ferrer was first found in Modena (Etruscan: Mutna; Latin: Mutina; Modenese: Mòdna), where records can be found in 1271 of the Ferrari family living there at the Villa Mugnano.

Saint Vincent Ferrer, OP (1350-1419) was a Valencian Dominican friar and preacher, who gained acclaim as a missionary and a logician. He is honored as a saint of the Catholic Church and other churches of Catholic traditions. His feast day is April 5th.

Early History of the Ferrer family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Ferrer research. The years 1471, 1480, 1499, 1508, 1530, 1546, 1584, 1603, 1653, 1655, 1662, 1681, 1850 and 1865 are included under the topic Early Ferrer History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Ferrer Spelling Variations

Enormous variation in spelling and form characterizes those Italian names that originated in the medieval era. This is caused by two main factors: regional tradition, and inaccuracies in the recording process. Before the last few hundred years, scribes spelled names according to their sounds. Spelling variations were the unsurprising result. The variations of Ferrer include Ferraro, Ferrari, Ferrario, Ferraris, Ferrai, Ferrero, Ferrarese, Ferreri, Ferrèri, Ferreli, Ferriero, Ferrieri, Ferrerio, Fevrero, Fevriero, Ferrer, Fer, Ferr, Fare, De Ferrari, Deferrari, Defferrari, De Ferraris, Ferrarello, Ferraretto, Ferrarini, Ferrarin, Ferrarotti, Ferrarone, Ferraron and many more.

Early Notables of the Ferrer family

Prominent among members of the family was

Antonio Ferrero (died 1508), an Italian Roman Catholic bishop and cardinal

Ferrer Ranking

In the United States, the name Ferrer is the 3,165^th most popular surname with an estimated 9,948 people with that name. 1 However, in France, the name Ferrer is ranked the 470^th most popular surname with an estimated 9,368 people with that name. 2

Ferrer migration to the United States +

In the immigration and passenger lists were a number of people bearing the name Ferrer

Ferrer Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

William Ferrer, who landed in Virginia in 1618 3
Sarah Ferrer, who arrived in Maryland in 1659 3

Ferrer Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

Johannes Ferrer, who arrived in Pennsylvania in 1727 3
John Ferrer, who landed in Pennsylvania in 1727 3
Johan Rudolph Ferrer, who landed in Pennsylvania in 1752 3
George Ferrer, who arrived in Maryland in 1774
George Ferrer, aged 16, who landed in Pennsylvania in 1776 3

Ferrer Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Francisco Ferrer, aged 28, who arrived in Puerto Rico in 1804 3
Antonio Ferrer, who arrived in America in 1804
Antonio Ferrer, who arrived in Puerto Rico in 1804 3
Manuel Ferrer, who landed in Puerto Rico in 1804 3
John Ferrer, who arrived in Pennsylvania in 1806
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Contemporary Notables of the name Ferrer (post 1700) +

Miguel José Ferrer (1955-2017), American actor and voice actor, best known for his villainous role as Bob Morton, the designer of the title character in RoboCop (1987)
Rafael Ferrer (b. 1960), American actor
Frank Ferrer (b. 1966), American contemporary rock drummer and session musician
Mel Ferrer (1917-2008), American actor, film director and film producer
Irene O. Ferrer, American politician, Delegate to New York convention to ratify 21st amendment, 1933
Fernando Ferrer (b. 1950), American Democratic Party politician, Borough President of Bronx, New York, 1987-2001; Presidential Elector for New York, 1992; Delegate to Democratic National Convention from New York, 1996, 2000, 2004; Member, Credentials Committee, 2008;
Felipe Ferrer, American politician, U.S. Consular Agent in Mollendo, 1938-47
Edward E. Ferrer, American politician, Representative from California 27th District, 1990
Edward Ferrer, American Democratic Party politician, Alternate Delegate to Democratic National Convention from Puerto Rico, 1916
Armania Ferrer, American Democratic Party politician, Delegate to Democratic National Convention from New York, 2000
... (Another 15 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Citations +

"What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
http://www.journaldesfemmes.com/nom-de-famille/nom/
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)