Contents [hide]

Fairley History Early Origins Early History Spelling Variations Early Notables Ranking

Contemporary Notables Related Stories Motto Citations

Fairley History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
Scotland
England

Early Origins of the Fairley family

The surname Fairley was first found in North Ayrshire at Fairlie, a village on the eastern shore of the Firth of Clyde and looks across to the Isle of Arran and the Cumbraes.

The Norman knight Sir Richard de Morville was appointed by King David I of Scotland (1084-1153) to hold land in Scotland. He became High Constable of Scotland and Lord of Cunninghame, Largs and Lauderdale. This land was later subdivided and by the 13th century, the land of Fairlie was held by the de Ros (or Ross) family of Tarbert.

One of the sons of the Ross family who built the Castle and adopted the name Fairlie. Fairlie Castle which survived until the 1840s is now in ruins. It lies in Fairlie Glen near the town of Fairlie in the old Barony of Fairlie, Parish of Largs, North Ayrshire. One source claims that Sir Robert Fairlie of that Ilk built the present castle in 1521. By design, it was a tower castle without a motte or a bailey and had four storeys. The walls were about 1.6m (5.25 feet) thick.

"Of Fairlie Castle, a strong square building, said to have belonged to Hardicanute, the walls are still entire; and near it, but in West Kilbride parish, are remains of an ancient chapel round which are some fine old trees." 1

One of the first records of the name was William de Fairlie who was granted a pardon by Edward III at Berwick in 1335 "for all the crimes committed by him in the war with England." 2

Another author states "It is rather remarkable that so few notices of this family are to be found, and that such as exist are of such a disconnected and fragmentary nature."

Alternatively, the name could have originated in England. Farleigh-Hungerford is a parish, in the union of Frome, hundred of Wellow, E. division of Somerset and East Fairleigh is a parish, in the union and hundred of Maidstone, lathe of Aylesford, W. division of Kent. West Fairleigh can be found nearby. 1 The Hundredorum Rolls of 1273 list Hugh de Farleye as living there at that time. 3

As far as the meaning of the name: "one who came from Fairlee (beautiful glade), in Wight, or from Fairley (fern clearing), in Shropshire." 4

Early History of the Fairley family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Fairley research. Another 195 words (14 lines of text) covering the years 1274, 1329, 1335 and 1342 are included under the topic Early Fairley History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Fairley Spelling Variations

The name, Fairley, occurred in many references, and from time to time, it was spelt Fairley, Fairlie, Fayrle, Farle, Farnley, Farnlie, Farnly, Ferle, Ffarly, Farnlye, Farinley, Farinle, Farinlee, Farinlea, Farinleigh, Farnleigh, Fairleigh, Fayrleigh, Fairie, Fairy, Farie and many more.

Early Notables of the Fairley family

More information is included under the topic Early Fairley Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Fairley Ranking

In the United States, the name Fairley is the 3,378^th most popular surname with an estimated 9,948 people with that name. 5

Fairley migration to the United States +

The New World beckoned settlers from the Scottish-English borders. They sailed aboard the armada of sailing ships known as the "White Sails" which plied the stormy Atlantic. Some called them, less romantically, the "coffin ships." Among the early settlers bearing the Fairley surname who came to North America were:

Fairley Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

Ann Fairley, who made the journey in 1730 and landed in Maryland

Fairley Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

John Fairley, who landed in Allegany (Allegheny) County, Pennsylvania in 1806 6
John Fairley, who arrived in Washington County, Pennsylvania in 1829 6
Michael Fairley, who landed in Mobile County, Ala in 1840 6
Michael Fairley, who arrived in Mobile County, Ala in 1842 6
R Fairley, who landed in San Francisco, California in 1851 6
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Fairley migration to Australia +

Emigration to Australia followed the First Fleets of convicts, tradespeople and early settlers. Early immigrants include:

Fairley Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

Mr. William Fairley who was convicted in Edinburgh, Scotland for 7 years, transported aboard the "Camden" on 21st March 1831, arriving in New South Wales, Australia 7
Ellen Fairley, English convict from Lancaster, who was transported aboard the "Arab" on December 14, 1835, settling in Van Diemen's Land, Australia 8
Mr. Edward Fairley, Scottish convict who was convicted in Glasgow, Scotland for 7 years, transported aboard the "Duncan" on 10th December 1840, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land) 9
Mr. Robinson Fairley, English convict who was convicted in Newcastle upon Tyne, Northumberland, England for 10 years, transported aboard the "Emerald Isle" on 28th June 1843, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land) 10
Mr. Hugh Fairley, Scottish convict who was convicted in Glasgow, Scotland for 10 years, transported aboard the ""Blenheim"" on 24th July 1850, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land) and Norfolk Island, Australia 11
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Fairley migration to New Zealand +

Emigration to New Zealand followed in the footsteps of the European explorers, such as Captain Cook (1769-70): first came sealers, whalers, missionaries, and traders. By 1838, the British New Zealand Company had begun buying land from the Maori tribes, and selling it to settlers, and, after the Treaty of Waitangi in 1840, many British families set out on the arduous six month journey from Britain to Aotearoa to start a new life. Early immigrants include:

Fairley Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century

Miss Elizabeth Fairley, Scottish settler travelling from Glasgow aboard the ship "Three Bells" arriving in Dunedin, Otago, South Island, New Zealand on 13th July 1858 12
Miss Grace Fairley, Scottish settler travelling from Glasgow aboard the ship "Three Bells" arriving in Dunedin, Otago, South Island, New Zealand on 13th July 1858 12
Miss Christina Fairley, Scottish settler travelling from Glasgow aboard the ship "Three Bells" arriving in Dunedin, Otago, South Island, New Zealand on 13th July 1858 12
Mr. George Fairley, Scottish settler travelling from Glasgow aboard the ship "Three Bells" arriving in Dunedin, Otago, South Island, New Zealand on 13th July 1858 12
Mr. James Fairley, Scottish settler travelling from Glasgow aboard the ship "Jura" arriving in Dunedin, Otago, South Island, New Zealand on 23rd September 1858 13
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Contemporary Notables of the name Fairley (post 1700) +

Nicholas Lachester "Nick" Fairley (b. 1988), American NFL football defensive tackle for the St. Louis Rams
Darlene Cook Fairley (b. 1943), American politician, Member of the Washington Senate (1995-2011)
Brian Fairley (b. 1959), Scottish former association football manager
Ian Fairley (b. 1964), former Australian rules footballer who played 217 games for North Melbourne (1983-1996)
FIona Hamilton- Fairley, English founder and CEO of The Kids' Cookery School in Acton, West London
Peter Fairley (1930-1998), Malaysian science journalist, best known for being the Science Editor for Independent Television News in the 1960s through the 1970s
Michelle Fairley (b. 1964), Northern Irish actress, best known for her roles as Catelyn Stark in the HBO series Game of Thrones
Gordon Hamilton Fairley DM FRCP (1930-1975), Australian-born, British professor of medical oncology killed by an IRA bomb intended to kill Sir Hugh Fraser
Samuel Anthony "Sam" Fairley (b. 1980), New Zealand cricketer who plays for the Wellington Firebirds
Margaret Adele Keeling Fairley (1885-1968), English-born, Canadian writer, educator, and political activist
... (Another 2 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

The Fairley Motto +

The motto was originally a war cry or slogan. Mottoes first began to be shown with arms in the 14th and 15th centuries, but were not in general use until the 17th century. Thus the oldest coats of arms generally do not include a motto. Mottoes seldom form part of the grant of arms: Under most heraldic authorities, a motto is an optional component of the coat of arms, and can be added to or changed at will; many families have chosen not to display a motto.

Motto: Paratus sum
Motto Translation: I am prepared.

Citations +

Lewis, Samuel, A Topographical Dictionary of England. Institute of Historical Research, 1848, Print.
Black, George F., The Surnames of Scotland Their Origin, Meaning and History. New York: New York Public Library, 1946. Print. (ISBN 0-87104-172-3)
Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)
Smith, Eldson Coles, New Dictionary of American Family Names New York: Harper & Row, 1956. Print
"What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
Filby, P. William, Meyer, Mary K., Passenger and immigration lists index : a guide to published arrival records of about 500,000 passengers who came to the United States and Canada in the seventeenth, eighteenth, and nineteenth centuries. 1982-1985 Cumulated Supplements in Four Volumes Detroit, Mich. : Gale Research Co., 1985, Print (ISBN 0-8103-1795-8)
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 2nd December 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/camden
State Library of Queensland. (Retrieved 2015, January 8) Arab voyage to Van Diemen's Land, Australia in 1835 with 132 passengers. Retrieved from http://www.convictrecords.com.au/ships/arab/1835
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 11th August 2021). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/duncan
Convict Records Voyages to Australia. Retrieved 25th March 2022 from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/emerald-isle
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 25th October 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/blenheim
New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 26th March 2019). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html
New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 17th October 2018). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html