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Fairman History Early Origins Early History Spelling Variations Early Notables Ranking

Contemporary Notables Related Stories Motto Citations

Fairman History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
Ireland

The Anglo-Saxon name Fairman comes from the given names Firmin, Farman or Ferman. "The great home of this name and all its varied forms was Norfolk. From hence it extended as Firmin into Essex. In these districts the surname is still common." 1

The name may have been Norman in origin as Magni Rotuli Scaccarii Normanniae listed N. Firmin of Normandy,1180-95 and William Forman, 1198. 2

Early Origins of the Fairman family

The surname Fairman was first found in Yorkshire where they held a family seat at Gateforth, which at the time of the taking of the Domesday Book in 1086 was known as Gereford, and granted by the King to Ilbert de Lacy. 3

As mentioned before, Norfolk quickly became the most popular county for the family. The Hundredorum Rolls of 1273 listed: John Fayerman and Richard Fayrman, as both holding lands there at that time. 1In Berkshire, we found Robert ferriman listed in the Pipe Rolls of 1192 and later Richard le Feriman was found in the Assize Rolls of Lancashire in 1246. 4 The latter entry eludes to the occupational nature of some of the family as in "Richard the Ferryman."

Later more records were revealed. Walter Fayrman, was vicar of Lakenham, Norfolk in 1369 and Farman Alberd, was bailiff of Yarmouth in 1325. This same individual is found as Fairman Alberd in 1306. 5

Early History of the Fairman family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Fairman research. Another 59 words (4 lines of text) covering the years 1614, 1632, 1635, 1638, 1647, 1662, 1697 and 1937 are included under the topic Early Fairman History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Fairman Spelling Variations

Before the last few hundred years, the English language had no fast system of spelling rules. For that reason, spelling variations are commonly found in early Anglo-Saxon surnames. Over the years, many variations of the name Fairman were recorded, including Fireman, Fermin, Firmin, Firmins, Firman, Virman and many more.

Early Notables of the Fairman family

Distinguished members of the family include Humphrey Brook Firman of Gateforth and Brayton in Yorkshire.Giles Firmin (1614-1697), was an English minister and physician, Deacon in the first church in Massachusetts of John Cotton, and ejected minister in 1662. he was the son of Giles Firmin, and was born at Ipswich in 1614. In 1632 he went with his father to New England. While at Boston, Massachusetts, he was ordained deacon of the first church, of which John Cotton was minister. At Ipswich, Massachusetts, he received in 1638 a grant of 120 acres of land. He practised medicine in New England, and...
Another 136 words (10 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Fairman Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Fairman Ranking

In the United States, the name Fairman is the 10,361^st most popular surname with an estimated 2,487 people with that name. 6

Migration of the Fairman family to Ireland

Some of the Fairman family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 54 words (4 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Fairman migration to the United States +

To escape oppression and starvation at that time, many English families left for the "open frontiers" of the New World with all its perceived opportunities. In droves people migrated to the many British colonies, those in North America in particular, paying high rates for passages in cramped, unsafe ships. Although many of the settlers did not make the long passage alive, those who did see the shores of North America perceived great opportunities before them. Many of the families that came from England went on to make essential contributions to the emerging nations of Canada and the United States. Research into various historical records revealed some of first members of the Fairman family emigrate to North America:

Fairman Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

Thomas Fairman, who landed in America in 1795 7

Fairman Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Matthew Fairman, who arrived in Allegany (Allegheny) County, Pennsylvania in 1823 7
Edmund Fairman, who landed in Allegany (Allegheny) County, Pennsylvania in 1875 7

Fairman migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Fairman Settlers in Canada in the 18th Century

Mr. John Fairman U.E. who settled in Canada c. 1784 8
Mr. John Fairman Sr., U.E. who settled in Thurlow [Belleville], Ontario c. 1786 8

Fairman migration to Australia +

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

Fairman Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

Mr. John Fairman, English convict who was convicted in Surrey, England for 7 years, transported aboard the "Bengal Merchant" on 24th March 1838, arriving in New South Wales, Australia 9

Contemporary Notables of the name Fairman (post 1700) +

Christopher M. Fairman (1960-2015), American full professor of law at the Ohio State University Moritz College of Law, awarded the "Outstanding Professor Award 2003"
Ferdinand Fairman (b. 1833), American businessman and banker who had the Fairman Building built in Big Rapids, Michigan in 1880
Dave Fairman, American businessman and founder of Fairman's, the skate, snow and surf shop in West Chester, Pennsylvania in 1977
James Ferdinand Fairman (1896-1967), American electrical engineer awarded the IEEE Edison Medal in 1959
Simon Fairman (1792-1857), American inventor of the lathe chuck in 1830 from West Stafford, Connecticut
Michael Fairman (b. 1934), American actor, director and writer, known for his role as Nick Szabo on the daytime drama Ryan's Hope from 1975 to 1980
Charles E. Fairman (1856-1934), American physician who published in the field of mycology
Paul Warren Fairman (1916-1977), American editor and writer
Robert "Bob" Fairman (1885-1916), English footballer who played from the 1900s to 1917
Denica Fairman (b. 1962), Canadian-born, English actress, known for Project A-Ko (1986), X (1996) and Gall Force: Earth Chapter (1991)
... (Another 2 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

The Fairman 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: Firmus in Christo
Motto Translation: Firm in Christ.

Citations +

Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)
The Norman People and Their Existing Descendants in the British Dominions and the United States Of America. Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing, 1975. Print. (ISBN 0-8063-0636-X)
Williams, Dr Ann. And G.H. Martin, Eds., Domesday Book A Complete Translation. London: Penguin, 1992. Print. (ISBN 0-141-00523-8)
Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)
Rye, Walter, A History of Norfolk. London: Elliot Stock, 62, Paternoster Row, 1885. 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)
Rubincam, Milton. The Old United Empire Loyalists List. Genealogical Publishing Co., Inc, 1976. (Originally published as; United Empire Loyalists. The Centennial of the Settlement of Upper Canada. Rose Publishing Company, 1885.) ISBN 0-8063-0331-X
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 13th October 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/bengal-merchant