This name, with variant spellings Ferrie, Ferri and Ferrey derives from the Medieval English "feri", ultimately from the Old Norse "ferja", meaning "ferry", and was originally given either as a topographical name to one resident by a ferry crossing on a river, or as a locationl name to someone from Ferrybridge in the West Riding of Yorkshire. This place was recorded as Ferie in the Domesday Book of 1086 and as Pons Ferie in the 1226 Fine Court Rolls of Yorkshire. The surname first appears on record in the early 13th Century, (see below). Other early recordings include Roger de Ferye and William de Ferie - "The Hundred Rolls of Yorkshire", (1273), and Johannes de Fery - "The Poll Tax Returns of Yorkshire", (1379). It is interesting to note that the names Ferre, Ferrey and Ferry also appear as French Huguenot introductions in 17th Century London church registers. On July 30th 1693, Marie Susanne, daughter of Paul Ferry and Susanne Gripour, was christened in the French Huguenot church, Treadneedle Street. The first recorded spelling of the family name is shown to be that of Walter de Ferie, which was dated 1217, in the "Feodarium Prioratus Dunelmensis", during the reign of King Henry 111, known as "The Frenchman", 1216 - 1272. Surnames became necessary when governments introduced personal taxation. In England this was known as Poll Tax. Throughout the centuries, surnames in every country have continued to "develop" often leading to astonishing variants of the original spelling.

© Copyright: Name Origin Research 1980 - 2024