Ferrier
An occupational surname meaning “horse-shoer” or “farrier,” ultimately from the Old French word for iron.
The #8,959 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 84,495 Americans shares it.
Etymology
This surname is generally treated as a variant spelling of Farrier. It comes from Old French words connected with iron and ironwork, ultimately from Latin ferrum, “iron.” The literal sense is therefore a worker in iron, especially a horse-shoer or maker of horseshoes.
History
19th-century surname writers commonly grouped Ferrier with Farrier and related forms, and some also linked it to French and Norman place-name forms. The name appears in English records with several spellings, reflecting the loose orthography of earlier centuries. In Scotland and England it survives as a less common but established surname, alongside Ferrers, Ferris, and other similar-looking names that are not always the same in origin.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
Some early heraldic traditions even associated the name with horseshoes, which fits its smithing connection.
From the historical record
“FERREY. Sec Ferry. FERRIER. A more coiTect ortliograpby of Farrier, which see. FERRIS. FERRIES. See Ferrers. FERRY. 1. From residence near one. 2. Possibly however from fer ey, the remote or distant island. 3. Camden says, "For Frederick th' English have commonly used Frery and Fery, which Iiath been now a long…”
— Patronymica Britannica: a dictionary of the family names of the United Kingdom