Where the Ferrari surname comes from
Ferrari is an occupational surname: it comes from the Latin faber ferrarius, the “smith of iron.” In the Middle Ages the blacksmith was simply called ferrarius, “the iron man.” The final -i, typical of northern Italy, marks the family: “the blacksmith’s folks.” Scholars also mention another possibility, tied to mines and furnaces, which the PDF explains.
A surname on the world’s most famous cars
A boy born in Modena at the end of the 1800s put the blacksmiths’ surname on the fastest cars on the planet. The PDF tells what his father did for a living, when the first car bearing his name was born and where the prancing horse comes from.
Where the Ferraris live today
Ferrari is the surname of the Po Valley and one of the top three in Italy, with about 44,700 families. It is concentrated in Lombardy, Emilia-Romagna and Veneto, and it is the most common surname in Emilia-Romagna. It is also the most common in many cities of the North, from Parma to Brescia. Farther south it thins out. The region-by-region map and the countries around the world where the family settled are in the PDF.
Variants
The blacksmith gave a different surname in nearly every region of Italy. The PDF explains which form belongs to which dialect.
| Surname | Where it is concentrated |
|---|---|
| Ferrari | Lombardy, Emilia-Romagna, Veneto |
| Ferraro | Campania, Calabria, Sicily |
| Ferretti | Emilia-Romagna, Tuscany, Lazio |
| Ferrero | Piedmont, Liguria |
| Ferrario | Lombardy |
| Ferraris | Piedmont, Lombardy, Liguria |
| De Ferrari | Liguria, Piedmont |
FAQ
What does the Ferrari surname mean?
“The blacksmith.” It comes from the Latin faber ferrarius, “smith of iron,” and marked the family of someone who worked iron.
Is Ferrari a surname from Emilia-Romagna or from Lombardy?
Both. It is concentrated in Lombardy, Emilia-Romagna and Veneto. It is the most common surname in Emilia-Romagna, in the city of Parma and in the province of Brescia.
Why are there so many Ferraris?
Because every village in the Po Valley had at least one blacksmith. The surname was born hundreds of times, each time from a different blacksmith.
Are Ferrari and Ferraro the same surname?
They come from the same trade. Ferrari has the northern -i, while Ferraro is the southern form, in the singular. The blacksmith also gave other cousins, like Ferrario, Ferrero and Ferraris.
Are all Ferraris related?
No. Every town had a blacksmith, and two Ferrari families almost never have any connection. To rebuild your own family history you need birth records and parish registers.
Are the Ferraris related to Enzo Ferrari?
Almost never. Sharing a surname doesn’t mean being related: the Ferrari surname was born from hundreds of different blacksmiths.
Is the Ferrari surname noble?
The surname itself doesn’t mean nobility. The archives record noble Ferrari families in Lazio, in Ceprano and in Rome, but nearly all Ferraris come from families of craftsmen.
Is there a Ferrari family coat of arms?
No. A coat of arms belonged to one specific branch of a family. And the prancing horse belongs to the racing team, not to the family.
