Unisex · #4,040 in 2026

Ferry

A ferry is a boat or ship that transports passengers, and occasionally vehicles and cargo, across a body of water. A small passenger ferry with multiple stops, like those in Venice, Italy, is sometimes referred to as a water taxi or water bus.

Current Rank
#4,040
Peak Rank
#2,725 (1926)
Total Babies
65
5-Yr Trend
Stable
👧 Girl peak #5,563 (10 total)
👦 Boy peak #2,725 (65 total)
👦As Boy Name
1919
First Year
1960
Last Year
1926
Peak Year
#2725
Peak Rank
65
Total Count
11
Years Active
👧As Girl Name
1952
First Year
1956
Last Year
1952
Peak Year
#5563
Peak Rank
10
Total Count
2
Years Active

Meaning & Origin of Ferry

What this name means, where it came from, and how it has traveled across cultures.

A ferry is a boat or ship that transports passengers, and occasionally vehicles and cargo, across a body of water. A small passenger ferry with multiple stops, like those in Venice, Italy, is sometimes referred to as a water taxi or water bus.

Source: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 3.0). Read more →

Origin & history
The profession of the ferryman is embodied in Greek mythology in Charon , the boatman who transported souls across the River Styx to the Underworld . Speculation that a pair of oxen propelled a ship having a water wheel can be found in 4th century Roman literature " Anonymus De Rebus Bellicis ". The concept was refined to use horses turning a capstan or a treadmill; this was a precursor to steam to drive paddlewheel boats. These were known as team boats . An example was the Experiment , which was used on Lake Champlain in 19th-century America. In 1850 the roll-on roll-off (ro-ro) ferry, Leviat

The Story of Ferry

As a girl name

Ferry first appeared in U.S. Social Security Administration records as a girl name in 1952, with 5 babies given the name that year. Its peak popularity came in 1952, when 5 Ferrys were born — ranking #5,563 that year. As of 2026, Ferry ranks #5,953 for girls with 5 births, with steady use. In total, more than 10 Ferrys have been born in the U.S. since records began in 1880, spanning the 1950s through the 2020s.

As a boy name

Ferry first appeared in U.S. Social Security Administration records as a boy name in 1919, with 5 babies given the name that year. Its peak popularity came in 1926, when 10 Ferrys were born — ranking #2,725 that year. As of 2026, Ferry ranks #4,040 for boys with 5 births, with steady use. In total, more than 65 Ferrys have been born in the U.S. since records began in 1880, spanning the 1910s through the 2020s.

Popularity Over Time

Girls Boys

Popularity by State

ME
WA
MT
ND
MN
WI
MI
NY
VT
NH
MA
OR
ID
SD
IA
IL
IN
OH
PA
NJ
CT
RI
CA
NV
WY
NE
MO
KY
WV
VA
MD
DE
DC
UT
CO
KS
AR
TN
NC
SC
AK
AZ
NM
OK
LA
MS
AL
GA
HI
TX
FL
Top 10
11-50
51-100
101-500
500+
No data

Names that sound like Ferry

Phonetically similar names — useful when Ferry is the vibe but a different syllable count or letter feel might suit better. Linked entries have a profile on Peek a Name.

Source: Datamuse . Phonetic similarity ranking, not curated.

Frequently Asked Questions about Ferry

What does the name Ferry mean?
A ferry is a boat or ship that transports passengers, and occasionally vehicles and cargo, across a body of water. A small passenger ferry with multiple stops, like those in Venice, Italy, is sometimes referred to as a water taxi or water bus.
How popular is Ferry in 2026?
In 2026, Ferry ranks #4,040 among boys' names in the U.S., with 5 babies given the name that year.
When was Ferry most popular?
Ferry reached its peak popularity in 1926, ranking #2,725 that year with 10 babies given the name.
Is Ferry a unisex name?
Yes — Ferry is used for both girls and boys in U.S. records, with about 13% of Ferrys assigned female and 87% assigned male historically.
What names go well with Ferry?
Names that share a similar style or popularity range with Ferry include Rubel, Vivan, Argie. These pairings are based on rank proximity and naming era in U.S. data.

Similar Names

👦 Similar Boy Names

👦
Rubel
Peak #2725
👦
Vivan
Peak #2725
👦
Argie
Peak #2725
👦
Lemoine
Peak #2725

👧 Similar Girl Names

👧
Andrene
Peak #5563
👧
Benda
Peak #5563
👧
Cathirine
Peak #5563
👧
Claudea
Peak #5563

About the name Ferry

Ferry is a unisex baby name tracked by the U.S. Social Security Administration. It first appeared in SSA records in 1919 and has accumulated 65 births in the dataset. Ferry's peak popularity came in 1926 when it ranked #2,725. Use the chart and map above to compare Ferry's trajectory across years and U.S. states, or browse the related names section to discover similar choices.

Continue exploring

Data sources

  • Birth statistics (counts, ranks, years 1880–2026) — U.S. Social Security Administration . Predictions for years not yet released by SSA are computed by Peek a Name from historical trends; we update with official data as soon as it ships.
  • Etymology, cultural origins, and related forms — Behind the Name (used under their public API terms).
  • Meaning prose and editorial summary — Wikipedia article extracts, licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0 .
  • Predicted nationality distribution — Nationalize.io .
  • Phonetically similar names — Datamuse .

Peek a Name aggregates and presents the above data for informational purposes. Statistical predictions and external attributions are clearly labelled where shown; we make no guarantee of accuracy beyond what each source provides.