Explore the Family Name Ferro
The meaning of Ferro
1. Italian, Spanish, Portuguese, and Maltese: from ferro ‘iron’ (from Latin ferrum), used as a nickname denoting someone who was strong or as a metonymic occupational name for someone who produced or worked iron. 2. Italian: from a medieval personal name, preserved in the modern pet form Ferruccio. 3. English: variant of Farrar. 4. Jewish (Sephardic): adoption of the Iberian surname (see 1 above) at the moment of conversion to Roman Catholicism. After the return to Judaism (generations later), some descendants retained the name their families used as Catholics. Some characteristic forenames: Italian Salvatore, Antonio, Angelo, Mario, Pasquale, Alberto, Antonino, Bernardo, Guido, Carmine, Concetta, Dino, Ottavio, Pietro, Rocco. Spanish Manuel, Jose, Luis, Carlos, Ramon, Eduardo, Fermin, Sixto, Angel.
Dictionary of American Family Names, 2nd edition, © Oxford University Press, 2022.
How common is the last name Ferro in the United States?
Based on the Decennial U.S. Census, the surname Ferro had a slight decrease in popularity between 2000 and 2010. In 2000, it ranked 4719 and by 2010 it had slipped in rank to 4843, indicating a -2.63% change. However, the count of individuals with this surname increased from 6,872 in 2000 to 7,273 in 2010, marking a 5.84% growth. The proportion per 100,000 people also saw a minor decrease from 2.55 to 2.47.
| 2000 | 2010 | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #4,719 | #4,843 | -2.63% |
| Count | 6,872 | 7,273 | 5.84% |
| Proportion per 100k | 2.55 | 2.47 | -3.14% |
Race and Ethnicity of people with the last name Ferro
In terms of ethnicity, the data from the Decennial U.S. Census shows changes in the distribution of the Ferro surname between 2000 and 2010. In 2000, the majority of the Ferros identified as White (80.57%), with Hispanic coming second at 15.54%. By 2010, while White remained the dominant ethnicity (75.99%), there was an increase in those identifying as Hispanic (21.04%). During the same period, there were decreases among those identifying as Two or more races and American Indian and Alaskan Native. There were modest increases among Black and Asian/Pacific Islander ethnic identities.
| 2000 | 2010 | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| White | 80.57% | 75.99% | -5.68% |
| Hispanic | 15.54% | 21.04% | 35.39% |
| Asian/Pacific Islander | 1.08% | 1.18% | 9.26% |
| Black | 0.8% | 0.88% | 10% |
| Two or More Races | 1.72% | 0.77% | -55.23% |
| American Indian and Alaskan Native | 0.29% | 0.14% | -51.72% |
Ferro ancestry composition
23andMe computes an ancestry breakdown for each customer. People may have ancestry from just one population or they may have ancestry from several populations. The most commonly-observed ancestry found in people with the surname Ferro is Italian, which comprises 27.7% of all ancestry found in people with the surname. The next two most common ancestries are British & Irish (21.8%) and Spanish & Portuguese (18.4%). Additional ancestries include French & German, Eastern European, Indigenous American, Ashkenazi Jewish, and Scandinavian.
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| ANCESTRY BREAKDOWN | COMPOSITION |
|---|---|
| Italian | 27.7% |
| British & Irish | 21.8% |
| Spanish & Portuguese | 18.4% |
| Other | 32.2% |
Possible origins of the surname Ferro
Your DNA provides clues about where your recent ancestors may have lived. Having many distant relatives in the same location suggests that you may all share common ancestry there. Locations with many distant relatives can also be places where people have migrated recently, such as large cities. If a large number of individuals who share your surname have distant relatives in a specific area, it could indicate a connection between your surname and that location, stemming from either recent ancestral ties or migration.
Based on 23andMe data, people with last name Ferro have recent ancestry locations spanning a few countries, mostly in Italy, and the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland.
| RECENT ANCESTRY Location | Percentage |
|---|---|
| Sicily, Italy | 45.50% |
| Greater London, United Kingdom | 42.90% |
| Glasgow City, United Kingdom | 42.90% |
| Tyne And Wear, United Kingdom | 42.90% |
| Merseyside, United Kingdom | 42.30% |
What Ferro haplogroups can tell you
Haplogroups are genetic population groups that share a common ancestor on either your paternal or maternal line. These paternal and maternal haplogroups shed light on your genetic ancestry and help tell the story of your family.
The top paternal haplogroup of people with the surname Ferro is R-U152, which is predominantly found among people with European ancestry. Haplogroup R-U152 is descended from haplogroup R-M343. Other common haplogroups include R-Z195 and E-V13, which are predominantly found among people with European and European ancestry. Other surnames with similar common haplogroups are: Rossi, Conti, Romano, Milano, Rinehart, Ricci, Pagano, Schubert, Marino, Martini.
The most common maternal haplogroups of people with Ferro surname are: H1, T2b, H. These most commonly trace back to individuals of European ancestry.
Paternal Haplogroup Origins R-M343Your maternal lineage may be linked to Marie Antoinette
Because it is so dominant in the general European population, haplogroup H also appears quite frequently in the continent's royal houses. Marie Antoinette, an Austrian Hapsburg who married into the French royal family, inherited the haplogroup from her maternal ancestors. So did Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, whose recorded genealogy traces his female line to Bavaria. Scientists also discovered that famed 16th century astronomer Nicolaus Copernicus traced his maternal lineages to haplogroup H.
What do people with the surname Ferro have in common?
Spoiler alert: it's complicated. People with the same last name are usually no more genetically similar than a randomly sampled group of people from the same population. That said, people with the same surname are more likely to have similar ancestries than randomly sampled individuals. The reason is the tendency of people with similar cultural or geographical backgrounds to preferentially mate with one another. That's why people who share a surname may be more likely to share traits and tendencies in common than people within the general population. Check out the percentages below to see the prevalences of tastes, habits, and traits of people with your surname compared with prevalences among 23andMe users.
Preferences
Chocolate Ice Cream
Prefers chocolate flavored ice cream over other flavors.
"Ferro" Surname 37.7%
23andMe Users 41.3%
Traits
Misophonia
When sounds made by others, like the sound of chewing or yawning, provoke strong emotional reactions in an individual.
"Ferro" Surname 32.7%
23andMe Users 27.9%
Habits
Sugary Drink
Drinks one or more sugary drinks per day.
"Ferro" Surname 23.3%
23andMe Users 21.1%
Wellness
Migraine
A severe headache characterized by intense pain, sensitivity to light and sound, and often accompanied by nausea and vomiting.
"Ferro" Surname 13.7%
23andMe Users 16.4%
Are health conditions linked to the last name Ferro?
The short answer is that, if there is an association between surname and health, it's usually more about your ancestry than your name. Individuals with a given surname are no more genetically similar than the general population but often have similar ancestries. The populations of people associated with those shared ancestries often have sets of genetic variations, also known as alleles, in common. Some of those alleles are associated with a greater likelihood of developing certain diseases.
Disease variant frequency by ancestry
Disease allele frequencies in populations associated with the surname Ferro are shown below. Important Note: not everyone with a disease allele will develop these health condition