Ferdinand is a Germanic name composed of the elements farð 'journey, travel', Proto-Germanic *farthi, abstract noun from root *far- 'to fare, travel' (PIE *par 'to lead, pass over'), and nanth 'courage' or nand 'ready, prepared' related to Old High German nendan 'to risk, venture'.
The name was adopted in Romance languages from its use in the Visigothic Kingdom. It is reconstructed in Gothic as either Ferdinanths or Frithunanths. It became popular in German-speaking Europe only from the 16th century, with Habsburg rule over Spain. Variants of the name include Fernán, Fernando, Hernando, and Hernán in Spanish, Ferran in Catalan, Fernando and Fernão in Portuguese, Ferrand, Fernand, and Fernandel in French, Ferdinando, Ferrante and Fernando in Italian, Ferdinánd and Nándor in Hungarian, and Ferdinand and Ferry in Dutch.
There are numerous short forms in many languages, such as the Finnish Veeti. There is a feminine Spanish, Portuguese, and Italian form, Fernanda (in Italian also Ferdinanda).
Contents
Royalty
Aragón/León/Castile/Spain
Ferdinand I of Aragon (1380–1416) the Just, King in 1412
Ferdinand II of Aragon (V of Castile) (1452–1516) the Catholic, King in 1478 (in 1475, jure uxoris)
Ferdinand I of León (1015–1065) the Great, King of León and Castile in 1037
Ferdinand II of León (1137–1188), King of León in 1157
Ferdinand III of Castile (1199–1252) the Saint, King of Castile in 1217 and of León in 1230
Ferdinand IV of Castile (1285–1312) the Summoned, King of Castile in 1295 and of León in 1301
Ferdinand VI (1713–1759) the Learned, King of Spain in 1746
Ferdinand VII (1784–1833), twice King of Spain: 1808 and 1813–1833
Cardinal-Infante Ferdinand of Austria (1618–1641)
Portugal
Ferdinand I of Portugal the Handsome (1345–1383), King in 1367
Ferdinand II of Portugal (1816–1885), second husband of Queen Maria II
Ferdinand, Count of Flanders (1188–1233), son of King Sancho I
Ferdinand the Holy Prince (1402–1443), youngest son of King John I
Ferdinand, Duke of Viseu (1433–1470), 2nd Duke of Viseu and 1st Duke of Beja, King Manuel's father
Ferdinand of Portugal, Duke of Guarda (1507–1534), 3rd son of King Manuel I of Portugal
Austria and German states
Ferdinand I, Holy Roman Emperor (1503–1564), Emperor in 1556
Ferdinand II, Archduke of Austria (1529–1595), Governor in the Kingdom of Bohemia in Prague (1547–1567) and sovereign of Tyrol and Further Austria (1564–1595), in Innsbruck since 1567
Ferdinand II, Holy Roman Emperor (1578–1637), Emperor in 1619
Ferdinand III, Holy Roman Emperor (1608–1657), King of Hungary and Croatia, King of Bohemia and Archduke of Austria
Ferdinand I of Austria (1793–1875), Emperor of Austria in 1835
Ferdinand of Bavaria (1577–1650) Prince-elector archbishop of Cologne, prince-bishop of Hildesheim, Liège, Münster, and Paderborn
Ferdinand of Fürstenberg (1626–1683) Prince Bishop of Paderborn and Münster.
Ferdinand, Duke of Brunswick (1721–1792)
Italian states
Ferdinand I of Naples (1423–1494), King in 1458
Ferdinand II of Naples (1469–1496), King in 1495
Ferdinand III of Naples – see Ferdinand II of Aragon
Ferdinand IV of Naples – see Ferdinand I of the Two Sicilies
Ferdinand I of Sicily – see Ferdinand I of Aragon
Ferdinand II of Sicily – see Ferdinand II of Aragon
Ferdinand III of Sicily – see Ferdinand I of the Two Sicilies
Ferdinand I of the Two Sicilies (1751–1825)
Ferdinand II of the Two Sicilies (1810–1859), King from 1830 to 1859
Ferdinand or Ferdinando Gonzaga, Duke of Mantua (1587–1626), Duke in 1612
Ferdinand or Ferdinando Carlo Gonzaga, Duke of Mantua and Montferrat (1652–1708), Duke in 1665
Ferdinand of Parma (1751–1802), Duke in 1765
Ferdinand III, Grand Duke of Tuscany (1769–1824), Grand Duke in 1790
Ferdinand IV, Grand Duke of Tuscany (1835–1908), Grand Duke from 1859 to 1860
Bulgaria
Ferdinand I of Bulgaria (1861–1948), knyaz (prince) 1887–1908, tsar (emperor) 1908–1918
Romania
Ferdinand I of Romania (1865–1927), became King 1914
Denmark
Ferdinand, Hereditary Prince of Denmark (1792–1863)
Lebanon
Ferdinand Tyan, Prince (c. late 19th-early 20th century)
Other people
Ferdinand Lewis Alcindor Jr., American basketball player who changed his name to Kareem Abdul-Jabbar
Fernando Alonso (born 1981), Spanish racing driver
Ferdinand Bol (1616–1680), Dutch Golden Age painter
Fernand Braudel (1902–1985), French historian
Ferdinand Budicki (1871–1951), Croatian automotive pioneer
Ferd Burket (born 1933), American football player
Ferdinand Coly (born 1973), Senegalese footballer
Ferdinand Dennis (born 1956), Jamaican-born writer and broadcaster
Ferd Dreher (1913–1996), American football player
Ferdinand Kvan Edman (born 1993), Norwegian middle-distance runner
Ferdinand Fabra (1906–2007), German football manager
Ferdinand Foch (1851–1929), French marshal, Allied Supreme Commander in World War I
Ferdinand Rudolph Hassler (1770-1845, Swiss-American surveyor
Ferdinand Habsburg (born 1997), Austrian racing driver
Ferd Hayward (1911–1988), Canadian racewalker
Ferdinand Hengombe (born 1979), Namibian politician
Fictional characters
Ferdinand von Aegir, a character from the video game Fire Emblem: Three Houses and Fire Emblem Warriors: Three Hopes
Ferdinand, a character in William Shakespeare's play The Tempest
Ferdinand, a character from the television series Thomas & Friends
Ferdinand, the titular pacifist bull in American author Munro Leaf's The Story of Ferdinand as well as a 1938 short film and a 2017 feature film based on the book