Ferri History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
Italy
Portugal

From the ancient and beautiful Italian island of Sicily emerged a variety of distinguished names, including the notable surname Ferri. 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 were characterized by a profusion of derivatives coined from given names. Although the most traditional type of family name found in the region of Sicily is the patronymic surname, which is derived from the father's given name, local surnames are also found. Local names, which are the least frequent of the major types of surnames found in Italy, are derived from a place-name where the original bearer once resided or held land. Often Italian local surnames bore the prefix "di," which signifies emigration from one place to another, and does not necessarily denote nobility. The Ferri family lived in Sicily where records date their presence as early as 1060.

Early Origins of the Ferri family

The surname Ferri was first found in on the island in 1060. An important member of the Ferri lineage at this time was Tomaso Ferro, mayor of Sassuolo in 1288; Tuccio Ferrucci was Captain of the defense of Pistoia in 1305, when Arrigo VII was ruler of the city.

Early History of the Ferri family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Ferri research. Another 43 words (3 lines of text) covering the years 1406, 1431, 1450, 1490, 1500, 1540, 1567, 1576, 1583, 1586, 1588, 1591, 1601, 1610, 1625, 1634, 1638, 1665, 1674, 1689, 1690 and 1868 are included under the topic Early Ferri History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Ferri 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 Ferri include Ferro, Ferri, Fierro, Ferretti, Ferretto, Ferrettini, Ferrettino, Ferrini, Ferrino, Ferrin, Ferin, Ferrucci, Ferruzzi, Ferroli, Ferrotti, Ferrieri, Ferranti, Ferrillo, Ferrulli, Ferrato, Ferriani, Ferraiolo, Ferraioli, Ferraiuolo, Ferraiulo and many more.

Early Notables of the Ferri family

Prominent among bearers of this surname in early times was

Domenico Ferretti, a diplomat and jurist in Castelfranco in 1490. Giulio Ferretti was a Statesman and jurisconsult in Ravenna in 1500; Raimondo Ferretti, governor of Loreto and Archbishop of Ravenna i...
Bartolomeo Ferretti of Genoa was Senator in 1638; Nicolo Ferretti was a famous poet in Ravenna around 1450; Giampietro Ferretti was Bishop of Milo; Tomaso Ferri was mayor of Sassuolo in 1583. Diego Fe...
Giovanni Ferretti, born at Venice about 1540, composed five books of 'Canzoni' in 5 parts (Venice 1567-1591), 2 books in 6 parts (Venice 1576-1586), and another of 5-part madrigals (Venice 1588), all...
Baldassare Ferri was one of the most extraordinary singers who ever lived, was born at Perugia, Dec. 9, 1610. He owed to an accident in his boyhood the operation by which he became a sopranist. At the...

Ferri Ranking

In the United States, the name Ferri is the 8,742^nd most popular surname with an estimated 2,487 people with that name. 1 However, in France, the name Ferri is ranked the 6,310^th most popular surname with an estimated 1,000 - 1,500 people with that name. 2

Ferri migration to the United States +

A look at the immigration and passenger lists has shown a number of people bearing the name Ferri:

Ferri Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Mateo Ferri, who arrived in Puerto Rico in 1816 3

Ferri Settlers in United States in the 20th Century

Adelina Ferri, aged 11, who immigrated to the United States from Brocco, Italy, in 1906
Alessandro Ferri, aged 23, who landed in America from Campeli, Italy, in 1906
Alessandro Ferri, aged 31, who immigrated to America from Isole Gran..., Teramo, in 1907
Alfredo Ferri, aged 27, who immigrated to the United States from Fano, Pisaro, in 1907
Alfonso Ferri, aged 25, who landed in America from Livigna, Italy, in 1909
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Contemporary Notables of the name Ferri (post 1700) +

Enrico Ferri (1942-2020), Italian politician and magistrate, Secretary of the Italian Democratic Socialist Party (1993-1995)
Gallieno Ferri (1929-2016), Italian comic book artist and illustrator
Mauro Ferri (1920-2015), Italian politician and judge, Italian Minister of Economic Development from 1972 to 1973
Michele Ferri (b. 1981), Italian association football defender
Ciro Ferri (1634-1689), Italian Baroque sculptor and painter
Riccardo Ferri (b. 1963), Italian former footballer
Janice Ferri Esser, American seven-time Daytime Emmy Award winning and five-time Writers Guild of America Award winning writer, known for her work on the daytime television serials The Young and the Restless and The Bold and the Beautiful

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)