Ferdinand

German

"bold voyager"

Ferdinand Origin and Meaning

The name Ferdinand is a boy's name of German origin meaning "bold voyager".

Ferdinand is a traditional name among Spanish royal families and also appears in Shakespeare's The Tempest, borne by the handsome young prince shipwrecked on Prospero's island. Bold, daring, and poetic, it was a popular choice in the US in the 19th and early 20th century, but the 1938 movie Ferdinand the Bull has left it with a lingering clunkiness and it has been out of style since the 80s.

Derived from Fredenandus, Ferdinand is made up of the element nanþa, meaniing "boldness, daring", combined with either friþus or farþa, meaning "peace" and "journey" respectively. As such, the name can mean "bold voyager", "peaceful and bold", or perhaps even "bold but peaceful voyager".

Notable bearers include the Portuguese explorer Ferdinand Magellan (the first European to cross the Pacific and the first person to circumnavigate the earth) and the racing driver Ferdinand Habsburg, along with various political and royal leaders throughout history.

The sleeker Spanish and Portuguese version Fernando is more popular currently in the US, Spain, Mexico, and Chile, while other international forms include the Dutch Dinand, Catalan Ferran, and Hungarian Nándor.

Ferdinand Rank in US Top 1000

# 986 in the US

Ferdinand Rank in Nameberry Top 1000

# 922 on Nameberry

Popularity of the name Ferdinand

• 922 Nameberry 2025
• 140 Germany 2016
• 58 Austria 2024

20 Names Similar to Ferdinand

These 20 names were selected by our users that were looking for other names like Ferdinand.

• Horace
• Bartholomew
• Friedrich
• Bertram
• Wilhelm
• Laurence
• Edmond
• Barnabas
• Ebenezer
• Maurice
• Neville
• Archibald
• Mortimer
• Horatio
• Nigel
• Hubert
• Hiram
• Clarence
• Ludwig
• Franz

Famous People Named Ferdinand

• Ferdinand I and II Kings of Portugal
• Ferdinand I and II Kings of Aragon
• Ferdinand II King of Leon
• Ferdinand I III and IV, Kings of Castile and Leon
• Ferdinand V and VI Kings of Spain
• Ferdinand I and II Holy Roman Emperors
• Ferdinand I and II Kings of Naples
• Ferdinand I (Ferdinand Antonio Pasquale Giovanni Nepomuceno Serafino Gennaro Benedetto) and II (Ferdinando Carlo) Kings of the Two Sicilies
• Ferdinand I (Ferdinand Maximilian Karl Leopold Maria of Saxe Coburg and Gotha), King of Bulgaria
• Ferdinand I (Ferdinand Viktor Albert Meinrad) King of Romania
• Ferdinand I (Ferdinand Charles Leopold Joseph Francis Marcelin) Emperor of Austria
• Ferdinand Emmanuel Edralin Marcos 10th President of the Philippines
• Ferdinand Édouard Buisson French winner of the Nobel Peace Prize
• Ferdinand Magellan Portuguese explorer
• Ferdinand Jean Marie Foch Marshal of France during WWI
• Ferdinand Mongin de Saussure Swiss linguist
• Ferdinand Porsche Czech auto engineer and founder of Porsche
• Ferdinand von Lindemann German mathematician
• Ferdinand Zvonimir Maria Balthus Keith Michael Otto Antal Bahnam Leonhard von Habsburg Austrian racing driver
• Ferdinand Lewis Alcindor Jr. birth name of Kareem Abdul,Jabbar, American basketball player
• Ferdinand Joseph LaMothe aka Jelly Roll Morton American jazz musician
• Ferdinand Marie Vicomte de Lesseps, French diplomat of the Suez Canal
• Ferdinand Budicki Croatian auto pioneer
• Ferdinand Bol Dutch painter
• Franz Ferdinand Carl Ludwig Joseph Maria Archduke of Austria whose assassination began WWI
• Ferdinand Maria Ludwig Franz von Assisi Isabellus Adalbert Ildefons Martin Bonifaz Joseph Isidro Prince of Bavaria, Infante Ferdinand of Spain
• Ferdinand Philippe Marie d'Orléans duc d'Alençon, cousin of Queen Victoria
• Ferdinand Georg August Prince of Saxe,Coburg and Gotha, German general
• Ferdinand François Philippe Marie Laurent d'Orléans Duc de Montpensier
• Ferdinand Philippe of Orleans Prince Royal of France
• Ferdinand Prince of the Two Sicilies, Duke of Castro (Ferdinando Maria Andrea Alfonso Marcus Borbone)
• Ferdinand Maria Fidelis Leopold Meinrad Valentin Prince of Hohenzollern

The name Ferdinand in Pop Culture

• Ferdinand character in Shakespeare's play The Tempest
• Ferdinand the Bull a mild mannered bull in The Story of Ferdinand
• Ferdinand Griffon main character in movie Pierrot le fou
• Ferdinand a railway engine on animated series Thomas & Friends
• Ferdinand Vaněk a vaguely autobiographical character in several plays by Václav Havel
• Ferdinand Hollie character on TV series "NYPD Blue"
• Ferdinand the duck in film "Babe"
• Ferdinand character on TV series Orphan Black
• Ferdinand main character in Disney film "Ferdinand"
• Ferdinand "Foggy" Nelson character in Marvel's Daredevil series
• Franz Ferdinand Scottish band
• Ferdinand von Aegir character in Fire Emblem Three Houses video game

International Variations of the name Ferdinand

• Fernão Portuguese
• Fernán Spanish
• Ferdi Spanish
• Hernando Spanish
• Ferrando Italian
• Nando Spanish
• Ferni Spanish
• Ferdo Spanish
• Fernando Spanish
• Ferdinando Spanish
• Nándor Hungarian
• Ferdynand Slavic
• Fernand French
• Fernandeo Spanish
• Ferdynandy Slavic
• Nandru Romanian
• Fernandu French
• Ferdino Spanish
• Ferrante French
• Ferrand French