Baby Name of the Day: Ferris

The baby name Ferris has always been rare, but maybe it’s ready to rise.

Thanks to Angel for suggesting our Baby Name of the Day.

FERRIS FAMILY

Like so many first names, we have to start with the last name Ferris.

That’s because it’s one of those surname choices that probably started out as mother’s maiden name. Or possibly another relative, typically of significance. Handing down their surname as a first or middle was a way to connect your ancestors to future generations. 

The history books usually trace the Ferris family to the Norman Conquest of England in 1066. The invaders brought their language – including names – with them from Normandy, France and eventually transformed English completely. 

Surname Ferrier likely came from ferrier – blacksmith, ultimately from the Latin ferrum – iron. It was a place name in Normandy, too. To be specific, Henry de Ferrers came to England with the Normans and was awarded quite a bit of land, including Tutbury Castle, in Staffordshire.

His son, Robert, became the 1st Earl of Derby. Ferrers became thoroughly English, and, at least sometimes, transformed to Ferris.

FARROW, FARRAR, FERRIER

Of course, lots of similar names are in use. Not all of them trace back to the Norman family.

Instead, they’re often related to the occupation of farrier – one who shoes horses. Horseshoes were traditionally made of iron. 

So we’re right back to the Latin word.

FERGUS

There’s another origin for the name, though.

Irish and Scottish heritage choice Fergus means “man of vigor” or vigorous.  It’s the name of a figure from Irish legend, several early rulers of Ireland, and an eighth century saint. 

While Fergus is still used as a boy’s name in the UK, including England and Wales, it became Ferris as a surname. 

Plenty of famous people have worn the family name Ferris since.

FARIS

The Arabic Faris is yet another given name with a similar sound. It means knight – which feels like a close cousin to Fergus in spirit.

FERRIS WHEEL

When we hear Ferris, there’s a good chance that one structure comes to mind: the Ferris Wheel.

Designed by engineer George Washington Gale Ferris, Jr. for the 1893 World’s Columbian Exposition in Chicago, it was meant to one-up the Eiffel Tower, which debuted at Paris’ exposition in 1889. 

It’s an interesting story. Others had created wooden wheels on a much smaller scale. And the organizers of the Chicago event initially thought it couldn’t be done.

Ferris, however, commissioned safety studies, invested his own money, and eventually convinced the world that his wheel was the right choice.

By all accounts, it was a success. Except Ferris himself went bankrupt after the fair closed and the original wheel was sold for scrap. 

All these years later, though, George Ferris’ invention is found all over the world, from the towering London Eye to pop-up traveling carnivals. 

His spirit – the mix of confidence, daring, and precision – made this the perfect name for a fictional Ferris. After all, the organizers of the Chicago exposition had told their team: “Make no little plans.”

Did John Hughes know the backstory when he sent George’s namesake singing “Danke Schoen” down the streets of his beloved city?

FERRIS BUELLER’S DAY OFF

Long before young Mr. Bueller took a day off, this name was already associated with carefree adventure. 

Ferris Bueller’s Day Off was John Hughes’ fourth teen movie, following smash hits Sixteen Candles, The Breakfast Club, and Weird Science.

It starred Matthew Broderick as Ferris Bueller; Alan Ruck as Cameron Frye; and Mia Sara as Sloane Peterson. They were high school seniors in suburban Chicago who decided to take a cut day and explore the city. 

Hughes has described it as a love letter to Chicago, with the friends visiting the Art Institute and taking in a Cubs game, along with an impromptu performance on a parade float. There are no ferris wheels in the 1986 big screen adventure, but there’s something about the day that shares the same energy.

Edward McNally, a childhood friend of Hughes, is sometimes considered the prototype for Ferris. The pair had another friend with the surname Buehler.

Buehler’s first name, however, goes unmentioned. Odds are that it wasn’t Ferris.

BY the NUMBERS

The name Ferris appears in the United States Top 1000 just a handful of times between the 1890s and 1920s.

It hasn’t appeared in the rankings since 1922. 

A few notables from that era include:

• Academy Award-nominated film editor Ferris Webster, whose long career spanned the 1940s into the 1980s, including classics like The Manchurian Candidate and The Great Escape.
• During the 1940s and 50s, Ferris Fain played baseball in the Major Leagues.

But Ferris has never really fallen out of use, either. The movie could’ve given it a bump during the 1980s; instead, usage stayed pretty flat.

As of 2022:

• The name Ferris was used as a baby boy name 50 times – a high not seen since the 1920s.
• It also appeared in the data for baby girl names, with eight newborns.

FREE-WHEELING, RESOLUTE FERRIS

Nearly forty years after the film’s debut, name your child Ferris and you’re in for a certain amount of “Bueller … Bueller … Bueller …”

But is that a bad thing? The character may have his flaws, but he embodies the name’s image perfectly: a mix of strength and adventure.

It’s a Chicago love song, too. Windy City natives might see this as a meaningful connection to home, even if they never ditched school in their best friend’s dad’s Ferrari.

Now, with similar sounding names like Ellis, and other boy names ending with S on the rise, it might be the perfect moment for Ferris.

What do you think of Ferris?

First published on October 21, 2010, this post was revised on April 15, 2024.