Surname Spotlight: McFerson

Genealogists group McFerson with McPherson. The name is usually explained as “Son of the parson”.

• You may also find the name written Macpherson.
• Before spelling was standardised, one family could appear under several forms.
• Spelled with “f” instead of “ph”, McFerson shows how the same name was heard and written differently.
• In the 2010 US Census, 204 Americans gave McFerson as their last name (rank 90,495). It sits within the 100,000 most common last names in the country.

McFerson coat of arms

A coat of arms belongs to a particular family line rather than to everyone named McFerson, so the heraldry linked to McPherson is a starting point, not an automatic right. Research your McFerson family history with a full surname report and painted coat of arms.