The NSW Transport Minister Andrew Constance is not yet free of the controversy that shrouded his gimmicky name pick for a Sydney ferry, with new claims that the second choice is also ineligible.

Mr Constance announced on Tuesday afternoon that the vessel, named Ferry McFerryface after a public competition, would be renamed after Australian children's book author and illustrator May Gibbs.

The name change came just hours after a report by the Nine Network said that Ferry McFerryface had attracted fewer votes than the Clean Up Australia founder Ian Kiernan in the $100,000 survey of 15,000 people.

Nine said that according to documents it had obtained, Ferry McFerryface attracted just 182 vote while Mr Kiernan garnered more than 2000 votes.