Fern is an English topographic name from the
Old English
Old English ( or , or ), or Anglo-Saxon, is the earliest recorded form of the English language, spoken in England and southern and eastern Scotland in the Early Middle Ages. It developed from the languages brought to Great Britain by Anglo-S ...
''fearn''. It refers to someone who lives among
fern
The ferns (Polypodiopsida or Polypodiophyta) are a group of vascular plants (plants with xylem and phloem) that reproduce via spores and have neither seeds nor flowers. They differ from mosses by being vascular, i.e., having specialized tissue ...
s. The name is used as a given name and a surname.
The name is in use primarily in
English-speaking countries
The English-speaking world comprises the 88 countries and territories in which English is an official, administrative, or cultural language. In the early 2000s, between one and two billion people spoke English, making it the largest language ...
. It has been in use since the 1800s and has also occasionally been in use for boys, though it is primarily a feminine name.
There were 133 newborn American girls named Fern in 2020, 140 in 2021, 148 in 2022, and 156 in 2023. There were 26 newborn girls given the name in
Canada
Canada is a country in North America. Its Provinces and territories of Canada, ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, making it the world's List of coun ...
in 2021.
Notable people with the name Fern or Ferns include:
Given name
*
Fern Andra
Fern Andra, Dowager Baroness von Weichs (born Vernal Edna Andrews, November 24, 1893 – February 8, 1974) was an American actress, film director, script writer, and producer. Next to Henny Porten and Asta Nielsen, she was one of the most popu ...
(1893–1974), American actress
*
Fern Battaglia (1931–2001), American baseball player
*
Fern Bell (1913–2000), American baseball player
*
Fern Brady (born 1986), Scottish comedian
*
Fern Britton
Fern M. Philomena Britton (born 17 July 1957) is an English television presenter and author. After beginning her career as a continuity announcer and a newsreader, she went on to co-present '' Breakfast Time'' in the 1980s and hosted the cookery ...
(born 1957), English television presenter
*
Fern G. Z. Carr (born 1956), Canadian poet
*
Fern Schumer Chapman (born 1954), American journalist
*
Fern Coppedge (1883–1951), American painter
*
Fern Cunningham, American sculptor
*
Fern Deacon (born 1998), English actress
*
Fern Emmett
Fern Emmett (March 22, 1896 – September 3, 1946) was an American film actress. She appeared in 212 films between 1930 and 1946. Emmett's film debut came with Universal in a two-reel production in 1914.
Emmett was born in Oakland, Califo ...
(1896–1946), American film actress
*
Fern Ferguson, American baseball player
*
Fern Fitzgerald (born 1947), American actress
*
Fern Gauthier (1919–1992), Canadian ice hockey player
*
Fern Headley (1901–1956), American ice hockey player
*
Fern Hobbs
Fern Hobbs (May 8, 1883 – April 10, 1964) was an American Lawyer, attorney in the U.S. state of Oregon, and Private Secretary to Governor of Oregon, Oregon Governor Oswald West. She was noted for her ambition and several accomplishments as a you ...
(1883–1964), American attorney
*
Fern Holland (1970–2004), American lawyer
*
Fern Hunt (born 1948), American mathematician
*
Fern Jones (1923–1996), American gospel singer
*
Fern Kinney (born 1949), American singer
*
Fern Kupfer (born 1946), American author
*
Fern LeBlanc (born 1956), French professional ice hockey player
*
Fern Majeau (1916–1966), French ice hockey player
*
Fern Mallis
Fern Mallis (born March 26, 1948, in Brooklyn, New York) was the executive director of the Council of Fashion Designers of America (CFDA) from 1991 to 2001, and created 7th on Sixth productions or New York Fashion Week as it is known today. She w ...
(born 1948), American consultant
*
Fern Michaels (born 1933), American author
*
Fern Hubbard Orme
Fern Hubbard Orme (April 17, 1903 – March 17, 1993) was an American politician and educator in Nebraska.
Orme was born in Opportunity, Nebraska and went to the public schools in O'Neill, Nebraska. Orme received her bachelor's and master's d ...
(1903–1993), American politician
*
Fern Perreault (1927–2021), French ice hockey player
*
Fern Persons (1910–2012), American film actress
*
Fern Rahmel (1914–2009), Canadian writer
*
Fern Riddell
Fern Riddell ( ) (born 22 January 1986) is a British historian who specialises in gender, sex, suffrage and Victorian culture. She has written several popular history books and is a former columnist for the '' BBC History'' magazine.
Early life ...
(born 1986), British historian
*
Fern Rivard (1946–1993), Canadian ice hockey player
*
Fern Flanagan Saddler (born 1955), American judge
*
Fern Sawyer (1917–1993), American cowgirl
*
Fern Shaffer (born 1944), American painter
*
Fern Shubert, Republican political figure
*
Fern Shumate (1910–2003), American writer
*
Fern Shollenberger (1923–1977), American baseball player
*
Fern M. Smith (born 1933), American judge
*
Fern Blodgett Sunde (1918–1991), Canadian wireless radio operator
*
Fern Sutherland (born 1987), New Zealand actress
*
Fern Villeneuve (1927–2019), Canadian aviator
*
Fern Whelan (born 1988), English footballer
Stage name
*
Fern (rapper) (born 1979), Puerto Rican rapper
Surname
*
Charlie Fern, American speechwriter and journalist
*
Cody Fern, Australian actor, screenwriter
*
Fanny Fern, pseudonym of American writer Sara Willis Parton
*
Fritzi Fern, motion picture actress from Akron, Ohio
*
George Fern, English footballer
*
Harold Fern
Harold Fern (20 April 1881 – 21 August 1974) was the British president of swimming's world governing body, FINA from 1936 – 1948. He was a member of the British Olympic Association.
See also
* List of members of the International Swimming Hal ...
, British president of swimming's world governing body FINA
*
Henry Ferne
Henry Ferne (1602 – 16 March 1662) was an English bishop.
Life
Ferne was born in York. He was educated at Uppingham School to which he was sent by Sir Thomas Nevill of Holt who had married his mother. He was admitted to St Mary Hall, Ox ...
, Chaplain Extraordinary to Charles I
*
Joseph J. Fern, first Mayor of Honolulu
*
Rodney Fern (1948–2018), English footballer
*
Ronald Ferns, English illustrator, designer, cartoonist and surrealist painter
*
Tan Paey Fern, Singaporean table tennis player
*
Tom Fern, English footballer
Fictional characters
* Fern Arable, from E.B. White's ''
Charlotte's Web
''Charlotte's Web'' is a book of children's literature by American author E. B. White and illustrated by Garth Williams. It was published on October 15, 1952, by Harper & Brothers. It tells the story of a livestock pig named Wilbur and his frie ...
''
* Fern the Green Fairy, one of
The Rainbow Fairies from the ''
Rainbow Magic'' book franchise
* Fern Martin from the film ''
The Hard Man''
* Fern Mayo/Vylette from ''
Jawbreaker'', 1998 black comedy film
*
Fern Walters, from the children's book and animated television series Arthur''
* Fern, from ''
Magical × Miracle''
* Fearne Calloway, from Critical Role Season 3.
* Fern, from the animated series
Adventure Time
''Adventure Time'' is an American fantasy animated television series created by Pendleton Ward and co-produced by Frederator Studios for Cartoon Network. The series follows the adventures of a boy named Finn the Human, Finn (Jeremy Shada) and ...
* Fern (German for ''far'') from ''
Frieren
is a Japanese manga series written by and illustrated by . It has been serialized in Shogakukan's manga magazine ''Weekly Shōnen Sunday'' since April 2020; its chapters have been collected in 14 volumes as of March 2025. It is license ...
''
* Fern, a fairy from ''
Pixie Hollow Games'' voiced by
Zendaya
Zendaya Maree Stoermer Coleman ( ; born September 1, 1996) is an American actress and singer. List of awards and nominations received by Zendaya, Her accolades include two Primetime Emmy Awards and a Golden Globe Awards, Golden Globe Award. I ...
* Fern, the changeling protagonist of video game Rusted Moss
References
{{given name, type=borh
English feminine given names
Feminine given names
Given names derived from plants or flowers
Surnames of Old English origin