Name Awesome

Ferguson

#12,627 in 2025Boys' name

Literal meaning not recorded

Ferguson has been given to 146 babies in the U.S. since 1914. In 2025 it ranked #12,627 of 13,926 boys’ names in use. Its peak year was 2019, with 8 recorded.

Babies named Ferguson, 2025

1 in 663,000

Ferguson over time, 1880–2025

Boys
0246818801900192019401960198020002020

Based on births in the U.S. Babies given the name each year. Hover the chart — or focus it and use the arrow keys — for any year. Gaps mean the name was given fewer than 5 times that year; these counts are unpublished.

Ferguson: meaning, origin, and history

Literal meaning not recorded

Deeper origin not confirmed in the cited records

What Ferguson means

Ferguson is a given name.

Dictionary etymologyReferences, data & attribution

From Fergus + -son, translation of Gaelic MacFhearguis, "son of Fergus".

Excerpt from Wiktionary: Ferguson (English) · CC BY-SA 4.0

Wiktionary material is available under CC BY-SA 4.0.

Origin, language, and formation

Ferguson is used in English.

Pronunciation and spelling

In English, Ferguson is pronounced /ˈfɝɡəsən/.

American usage and historical context

In the United States, 146 boys were recorded with the name Ferguson between 1914 and 2025. Its highest annual count was 8 in 2019; its best national rank was #3,031 in 1914.

Over 5 years its rank fell, from #9,889 in 2020 to #12,627 in 2025.

How common is Ferguson?

Everything below is computed from the 2025 data — the most recent year available.

Among all babies, 2025
1 in 663,000
5 of 3,315,165 births
Among boys only
1 in 342,000
<0.01% of boys
Rank, 2025
#12,627
of 13,926 boys’ names in use
Coin-flip room size
459,581 kids
Even odds of a second one

Where Ferguson sits on the popularity scale

Rarest published (5 a year)#1 — Liam (20,818)

Chance at least one other child shares the name

If the other children were drawn at random from the 2025 national name distribution. Real classrooms cluster by region and community, so treat these as a floor, not a ceiling.

Class of 20Under 1%
Class of 30Under 1%
Grade of 100Under 1%
School of 500Under 1%

Put another way: gather 459,581 children born in 2025 and it's an even bet that one of them is another Ferguson. In a class of 30 the chance is Under 1%.

When Fergusons were born

Half of everyone ever recorded as Ferguson was born before 2005 — so the typical Ferguson is around 20 today.

Median birth year
2005
About 20 years old
Biggest decade
2020s
25.3% of all use
Born in the last 25 years
52.1%
A modern name
Recorded since 1950
112
People you could plausibly meet
Choose a decade

2020s — 25.3% of all recorded uses (37).

Is Ferguson rising or falling?

Rank movement and count movement can disagree — the number of distinct names in use keeps growing, so a name holding a steady count still slides down the list. Both are shown.

Rank vs 1 year ago
+282
Places climbed
Rank vs 5 years ago
−2,738
Places dropped
Rank vs 10 years ago
—
Not ranked then
Births vs 10 years ago
—
Not published both years
Share of its own peak
62.5%
Peak was 2019 (8)
Years since peak
6
Years
Year-to-year steadiness
Shifting
22.9% average annual change
Best rank ever
#3,031
1914

Spellings of Ferguson

Ferguson is not the most common spelling — Fergus is, with 79.6% against Ferguson's 20.4%.

  • Fergus79.6%568
  • Ferguson20.4%146

Grouped by closeness of spelling (up to two letter changes), same sex, with a floor on all-time use. It catches Sophia/Sofia and Aiden/Ayden, and misses spellings that sound alike but look different, like Sean and Shawn.

Ferguson around the world

Where Ferguson ranks in official birth records elsewhere in the world. Rankings only — the number of births isn’t comparable between places, so it isn’t shown.

  • England & Wales
    2006–2025
    #3,256
    in 2025
  • South Australia
    1990–1990
    #357
    in 1990

Popularity data from Office for National Statistics and Consumer and Business Services (South Australia). ONS data under Open Government Licence v3.0. CBS SA data under CC BY 4.0.

Ferguson by the numbers

The raw record for each sex the name is used for.

As a boy's name

Rank in 2025
#12,627
Trend vs 5 yrs ago
Down 2,738
Best rank ever
#3,031
1914
Peak year
2019
8 that year
First recorded
1914
Last recorded
2025
All-time count
146
Count in 2025
5

Names similar to Ferguson

Matched on shared beginnings and endings, similar length, and comparable popularity.

ClarksonYefersonJameisonFerranGunnisonBrooksonFerlandoEndersonFernadoAnderssonKharsonKohlsonHucksonEdenilsonEdilsonJefersonBraxsonBraesonClaysonRyersonBrycesonThomsonGracesonBreyson

Sibling names for Ferguson

Names from the same era and popularity tier — the two things that make a sibling set feel deliberate — skipping lookalike spellings and shared initials.

Explore around Ferguson

Top names of 2019, Ferguson's peak yearThe 2010s in fullOther names that peaked in 1914Boys' names starting with F