Given name & surname
Ferguson
“the first and supreme choice”
Ferguson is a variant of Fergus. One interpretation is “the first and supreme choice.”
Meaning & origin
What it means
Ferguson is a variant of Fergus. One interpretation is “the first and supreme choice.”
Explained through its name family
How it developed
In English usage, Ferguson as a surname has a “son of” formation linked to Fergus.
The story
Published U.S. birth records include this spelling as early as 1914. This is the earliest published observation available here, rather than a date for the name’s origin.
From dated birth records
Ferguson through the years
- Babies since 1880
- 146
- 146 boys · 0 girls
- Most popular year
- 2019
- 8 babies
- 2025
- 5
- #12,631 for boys
- 2021–25 vs 2016–20
- +7%
- Steady
By the numbers
In 2025, this name appeared in 5 U.S. birth records for boys, ranking No. 12,631 among boys’ names. The recent annual counts are too incomplete to establish a ten-year comparison. Published U.S. population figures for this spelling include 313 as a first name in 2020; 139,234 as a surname in 2020.
From Social Security birth records and U.S. Census name counts for this exact spelling. Other spellings are counted separately.
Ferguson’s family of names
In English usage, Ferguson as a surname has a diminutive in Fergie. In English usage, Ferguson as a surname has a “son of” formation linked to Fergus. In English usage, Ferguson as a surname has a related form in Fergusson.
Inner ring: nicknames and forms · outer: across languages.
Nicknames & forms 6
Diminutives, pet forms, short forms and variants used alongside the name.
Across languages 1
Equivalents and cognates in other languages, plus older forms it grew from.
People named Ferguson
- Ferguson RotichKenyan middle-distance runnerborn 1989
- Ferguson JenkinsCanadian baseball playerborn 1943
Listed by how widely each person is written about, which says nothing about the name itself.
Similar names
If you love Ferguson, these share its style, era, origin or sound, from outside its own family.
Iker
“a visitor”
>99% boys
Kohen
Kohen is a masculine given name from Hebrew.
98% boys · 2% girls
Xavier
“owner of a new house” · “one who is bright”
>99% boys
Karson
“from the swamp” · “a free man”
95% boys · 5% girls
Easton
“a wholesome woman” · “from the eastern town”
99% boys · 1% girls
Daxton
“from the French town Dax”
>99% boys
Winston
“of the joy stone; from the friendly town”
99% boys · 1% girls
Solomon
“a peaceful man”
>99% boys