Faller History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
Italy

The name Faller was brought to England in the great wave of migration following the Norman Conquest of 1066. The Faller family lived in Midlothian. The name comes from the Old English word fall, which, strangely, could indicate someone who lived near either a waterfall or a meadow. Another derivation suggests that the name is a local reference to the area of Falaise, Normandy. Time has confused the two derivations, and it is now extremely difficult to tell which is appropriate in a given case. 1

Early Origins of the Faller family

The surname Faller was first found in Midlothian where they held a family seat from very early times and were granted lands by Duke William of Normandy, their liege Lord, for their distinguished assistance at the Battle of Hastings in 1066 A.D.

The Falle variant is now native to Jersey in the Channel Islands, but was originally from Lancashire where Gilbert de la Falle was recorded in the Assize Rolls of 1263. William de Fall was listed in the Hundredorum Rolls of 1255 in Oxfordshire and Geoffrey del Falles was found in the Subsidy Rolls of Yorkshire in 1297. 1

The Fallas or Fallis variant dates back to the Domesday Book of 1086 where it was first recorded by William de Faleise, de Falisia in Wiltshire. 2

Early History of the Faller family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Faller research. Another 79 words (6 lines of text) covering the years 1165, 1421, 1453, 1567, 1656, 1694, 1736 and 1742 are included under the topic Early Faller History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Faller Spelling Variations

Norman surnames are characterized by a multitude of spelling variations. The frequent changes in surnames are largely due to the fact that the Old and Middle English languages lacked definite spelling rules. The introduction of Norman French to England, as well as the official court languages of Latin and French, also had pronounced influences on the spelling of surnames. Since medieval scribes and church officials recorded names as they sounded, rather than adhering to any specific spelling rules, it was common to find the same individual referred to with different spellings. The name has been spelled Falla, Fala, Falle, Falls, Fallows, Fallis and many more.

Early Notables of the Faller family

Outstanding amongst the family at this time was George Fala Scottish Ambassador. Philip Falle (1656-1742) was a clergyman and historian of Jersey. He was born in the parish of St. Saviour in Jersey and was sent to England at a very early...
Another 42 words (3 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Faller Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Faller Ranking

In the United States, the name Faller is the 13,529^th most popular surname with an estimated 2,487 people with that name. 3

Faller migration to the United States +

Many English families emigrated to North American colonies in order to escape the political chaos in Britain at this time. Unfortunately, many English families made the trip to the New World under extremely harsh conditions. Overcrowding on the ships caused the majority of the immigrants to arrive diseased, famished, and destitute from the long journey across the stormy Atlantic. Despite these hardships, many of the families prospered and went on to make invaluable contributions to the development of the cultures of the United States and Canada. Early North American immigration records have revealed a number of people bearing the name Faller or a variant listed above:

Faller Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

Johan Joseph Faller, aged 23, who landed in Pennsylvania in 1733 4
Anna Catharina Faller, who settled in Philadelphia in 1791

Faller Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Aloyse Faller, who settled in America in 1828
Adam Faller, who landed in North America in 1832 4
John Faller, who landed in New York in 1834 4
Adam Faller, who settled in New York in 1840
Johann Faller, who arrived in New York, NY in 1850 4
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Faller migration to Australia +

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

Faller Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

Marion Faller, who arrived in Adelaide, Australia aboard the ship "Tomatin" in 1840 5

Contemporary Notables of the name Faller (post 1700) +

Marion Faller (1941-2014), American photographer
Dr. James E. Faller, American physicist and inventor
Chris Faller (b. 1985), American musician, bassist of The Hush Sound
Ruwen Faller (b. 1980), German sprinter who specializes in the 400 metres
Kevin Faller (1920-1983), Irish scriptwriter and poet
Edwin Faller and Hermann Faller, German brother who founded Faller, a German toy company in Stuttgart in 1946
Newton Faller (1947-1996), Brazilian computer scientist and electrical engineer who discovered adaptive Huffman codes, eponym of the Newton Faller Award

Citations +

Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)
Williams, Dr Ann. And G.H. Martin, Eds., Domesday Book A Complete Translation. London: Penguin, 1992. Print. (ISBN 0-141-00523-8)
"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)
State Records of South Australia. (Retrieved 2010, November 5) TOMATIN 1840. Retrieved from http://www.slsa.sa.gov.au/BSA/1840Tomatin.htm