Ferdia
Say it: FER-dee-a
BoyIrishMythology6 letters3 syllables
#348
in Ireland (2025)
#336 with spellings combined
11
babies in 2025
#205
best rank (1993)
293
babies since 1984
Up 86
10-year rank change
Ferdia through the years
Compare with another name →Show the numbers
| Year | Babies (boys) | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 11 | #336 |
| 2024 | 7 | #454 |
| 2023 | 8 | #426 |
| 2022 | 12 | #338 |
| 2021 | 16 | #270 |
| 2020 | 11 | #350 |
| 2019 | 12 | #324 |
| 2018 | 5 | #543 |
| 2017 | 8 | #418 |
| 2016 | 8 | #412 |
| 2015 | 8 | #422 |
| 2014 | 7 | #468 |
| 2013 | 5 | #535 |
| 2012 | 7 | #457 |
| 2011 | 11 | #366 |
| 2010 | 10 | #373 |
| 2009 | 6 | #472 |
| 2008 | 7 | #444 |
| 2007 | 13 | #282 |
| 2006 | 11 | #282 |
| 2005 | 8 | #302 |
| 2004 | 6 | #352 |
| 2003 | 5 | #375 |
| 2002 | 5 | #348 |
| 2001 | 4 | #347 |
| 2000 | 3 | #390 |
| 1999 | 6 | #266 |
| 1998 | 7 | #229 |
| 1997 | 7 | #261 |
| 1996 | 9 | #234 |
| 1995 | 4 | #301 |
| 1994 | 5 | #263 |
| 1993 | 10 | #205 |
| 1992 | 9 | #210 |
| 1991 | 4 | #288 |
| 1989 | 3 | #307 |
| 1988 | 6 | #235 |
| 1986 | 6 | #247 |
| 1984 | 3 | #318 |
Source: CSO, Irish Babies' Names (VSA50, VSA60), CC BY 4.0.
★ What does Ferdia mean?
Uncertain
Irish Fer Diad, the name of a warrior in the Ulster Cycle, of uncertain meaning.
Say it right
FERdeea
Some put the stress on the middle syllable, fer-DEE-a.
The story of Ferdia
Ferdia is a modern spelling of Fer Diad, also written Ferdiad. What the name means is unclear. It has been read as “man of smoke”, “man of the pair” and “man of two feet”, and it may even have come from the place name Áth Fhir Diad rather than the other way round.
In the Ulster Cycle Ferdia is a warrior who fights for Connacht. He and Cú Chulainn trained in arms together under Scáthach and were foster-brothers and close friends. The two were equal in every feat, except that only Cú Chulainn knew the Gáe Bolga, and only Ferdia had a skin of horn that no weapon could pierce. In the Táin Bó Cúailnge they meet at a ford and fight for days, until Cú Chulainn uses the spear and kills him. The ford is Áth Fhir Diad, Ardee in Co. Louth, where a bronze statue of the pair now stands.
Ferdia reached the CSO lists in 1984 and has stayed a rare choice. Its best rank was number 205 in 1993, and 11 boys were named Ferdia in 2025.
Say it differently where you're from, or spotted something wrong? Tell us.
Sources
- Wikipedia: Ferdiad
- Wikipedia: Cú Chulainn
- CSO VSA50, Boys Names in Ireland with 3 or More Occurrences
At a glance
Similar names
Sibling ideas
Spellings counted here
| Spelling | 2025 | All years |
|---|---|---|
| Ferdia | 11 | 293 |
In Northern Ireland
#395 in 2025 with 3 babies. Best rank #304 (2020); 8 babies since 2020.
Source: NISRA, Open Government Licence.