English
The surname 'Ferris' is of Scottish, and Irish origin. It is a Variant of the name 'Fergus', chiefly found in Northern Ireland. It is derived from the Gaelic personal name 'Fearghus', composed of the elements 'fear', meaning 'man', and 'gus', meaning 'vigour', 'forcr'. Public and Civil registry archive's confirm that the surname was the name of an early Irish mythological figure, a valiant warrior, and also of the grandfather of St Columbia. Some Irish bearers of this name claim descent from 'Fergus', Prince of Galloway, although documentary evidence is missing. Of all the forms and derivatives of this name, Ferguson is by far the most common. The exact period of settlement in North America has not been definitely determined but data extracted from Historical archive's confirm that one of the first forefathers to bring this name to America was a certain 'Jeffrey Ferris', from the county of Leicestershire, England. He emigrated to Watertown, Massachusetts, and was admitted a freeman in Boston in 1635. Afterwards he was an original settler at Greenwich in 1642. His great-great-great-great-great-grandson 'Floyd Franklin Ferris', of Washington D.C., was Lieutenant Commander in the United States Navy, commanding the United States Ship 'Kane' from 1937, a member of Sons of American Revolution, Society of Colonial Wars, Huguenot Society, and Society of Mayflower Dependants. He was educated at the United States Naval Academy, in Annapolis. Today, 'Ferris' is the 'One thousand two hundred and fifty-fourth' most common surname in North America.