Contents [hide]

Farr History Early Origins Early History Spelling Variations Early Notables Ranking

Ireland United States Australia New Zealand West Indies

Contemporary Notables Historic Events Related Stories Suggested Reading Citations

Farr History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
Ireland

The name Farr is part of the ancient legacy of the Anglo-Saxon tribes of Britain. Farr was a name used for a person who was described as being fierce or lusty. The surname is derived from the Old English word farr, which meant bull.

Early Origins of the Farr family

The surname Farr was first found in Yorkshire. While most researchers believe that the name is Anglo-Saxon in origin, we must not dismiss the possible Norman origin. For example, Radulphus Fere of Nomandy was listed there in 1180 and 1195 and the Rotuli Hundredorum (Hundred Rolls) c. 1272 list Walter Fere of England. 1

Early History of the Farr family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Farr research. Another 130 words (9 lines of text) covering the years 1381, 1400 and 1890 are included under the topic Early Farr History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Farr Spelling Variations

Until the dictionary, an invention of only the last few hundred years, the English language lacked any comprehensive system of spelling rules. Consequently, spelling variations in names are frequently found in early Anglo-Saxon and later Anglo-Norman documents. One person's name was often spelled several different ways over a lifetime. The recorded variations of Farr include Farr, Farre and others.

Early Notables of the Farr family

Distinguished members of the family include

Farr of Yorkshire

Farr Ranking

In the United States, the name Farr is the 1,429^th most popular surname with an estimated 22,383 people with that name. 2

Migration of the Farr family to Ireland

Some of the Farr family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 58 words (4 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Farr migration to the United States +

Thousands of English families boarded ships sailing to the New World in the hope of escaping the unrest found in England at this time. Although the search for opportunity and freedom from persecution abroad took the lives of many because of the cramped conditions and unsanitary nature of the vessels, the opportunity perceived in the growing colonies of North America beckoned. Many of the settlers who survived the journey went on to make important contributions to the transplanted cultures of their adopted countries. The Farr were among these contributors, for they have been located in early North American records:

Farr Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

Barnabas Farr, who settled in New England in 1620
John Farr, who arrived in Virginia in 1635 3
Mary Farr, who landed in Virginia in 1650 3
George Farr, who landed in Maryland in 1651 3
Barnabas Farr, who landed in Boston, Massachusetts in 1654 3
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Farr Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

Judith Farr, who landed in Virginia in 1702 3
Anna Maria Farr, who arrived in America in 1750 3

Farr Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Wilhelm Farr, aged 39, who landed in New York in 1849 3
Willson Farr, who landed in San Francisco, California in 1851 3
James Farr, who landed in Allegany (Allegheny) County, Pennsylvania in 1854 3
James Farr, aged 43, who arrived in New York in 1854 3
James Farr, who landed in Allegany (Allegheny) County, Pennsylvania in 1854 3
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Farr migration to Australia +

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

Farr Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

Mr. William Farr, Irish convict who was convicted in Dublin, Ireland for life, transported aboard the "Atlas" on 29th November 1801, arriving in New South Wales, Australia 4
Thomas Farr, English convict from York, who was transported aboard the "Agamemnon" on April 22, 1820, settling in New South Wales, Australia 5
Solomon Farr, English convict from Wiltshire, who was transported aboard the "Arab" on July 3, 1822, settling in Van Diemen's Land, Australia 6
Mr. Robert Farr, (b. 1805), aged 24, English sailor who was convicted in Bristol, England for 14 years for stealing, transported aboard the "Claudine" on 19th August 1829, arriving in New South Wales, Australia, he died in 1836 7
Charles Farr, who arrived in Adelaide, Australia aboard the ship "Buckinghamshire" in 1839 8
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Farr 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:

Farr Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century

Samuel Farr, who landed in Wellington, New Zealand in 1840
Mary Farr, who arrived in Nelson, New Zealand aboard the ship "John Masterman" in 1857
Jane Farr, who arrived in Nelson, New Zealand aboard the ship "John Masterman" in 1857
W. Aubrey Farr, who arrived in Auckland, New Zealand aboard the ship "Siam" in 1865
Miss Anne Farr, (b. 1841), aged 25, British domestic servant travelling from London aboard the ship "John Temperley" arriving in Lyttelton, Christchurch, South Island, New Zealand on 21st June 1866 9
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Farr migration to West Indies +

The British first settled the British West Indies around 1604. They made many attempts but failed in some to establish settlements on the Islands including Saint Lucia and Grenada. By 1627 they had managed to establish settlements on St. Kitts (St. Christopher) and Barbados, but by 1641 the Spanish had moved in and destroyed some of these including those at Providence Island. The British continued to expand the settlements including setting the First Federation in the British West Indies by 1674; some of the islands include Barbados, Bermuda, Cayman Island, Turks and Caicos, Jamaica and Belize then known as British Honduras. By the 1960's many of the islands became independent after the West Indies Federation which existed from 1958 to 1962 failed due to internal political conflicts. After this a number of Eastern Caribbean islands formed a free association. 10

Farr Settlers in West Indies in the 17th Century

Mr. Edward Farr, aged 28 who arrived in St. Kitts (St Christopher) aboard the ship "Amity" in 1635 3

Contemporary Notables of the name Farr (post 1700) +

Miller Farr Jr. (1943-2023), American AFL and NFL professional football player who was a cornerback for 10 seasons
Glenn Farr (1946-2023), American Academy Award winning film and television editor, best known for his work on the film The Right Stuff
Melvin "Mel" Farr (1944-2015), American NFL football player who played for the Detroit Lions from 1967 to 1973
Felicia Farr (b. 1932), born Olive Dinesis, a former American actress and model, second husband was the film star Jack Lemmon
Samuel Sharon "Sam" Farr (b. 1941), American politician, Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from California (2013-)
D'Marco Farr (b. 1971), American former NFL football defensive tackle, awarded the Morris Trophy (1993), Super Bowl champion (XXXIV)
Steven Michael Farr (b. 1956), American Major League Baseball pitcher who played from 1984 to 1994
James Alfred Farr (b. 1956), American former Major League Baseball pitcher
Diane Farr (b. 1969), American actress, known for her roles as FBI agent Megan Reeves in the CBS television series Numb3rs
Jamie Farr (b. 1934), born Jameel Joseph Farah, American television and film actor best known for his role in M*A*S*H
... (Another 46 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Historic Events for the Farr family +

Empress of Ireland

Miss Annie Meggitt Farr (1908-1914), Canadian Second Class Passenger from Regina, Saskatchewan, Canada who was traveling aboard the Empress of Ireland and died in the sinking 11
Miss Kathleen Farr (1906-1914), Canadian Second Class Passenger from Regina, Saskatchewan, Canada who was traveling aboard the Empress of Ireland and died in the sinking 11
Miss Bessie Farr (1911-1914), Canadian Second Class Passenger from Regina, Saskatchewan, Canada who was traveling aboard the Empress of Ireland and died in the sinking 11
Miss Dorothy Farr (1909-1914), Canadian Second Class Passenger from Regina, Saskatchewan, Canada who was traveling aboard the Empress of Ireland and died in the sinking 11

HMS Repulse

Mr. Henry J Farr, British Ordinary Seaman, who sailed into battle on the HMS Repulse (1941) and survived the sinking 12

HMS Royal Oak

Ernest William Farr (1901-1939), British Chief Stoker with the Royal Navy aboard the HMS Royal Oak (1939) when she was torpedoed by U-47 and sunk; he died in the sinking 13

Citations +

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)
"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 14th July 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/atlas
State Library of Queensland. (Retrieved 2016, October 27) Agamemnon voyage to New South Wales, Australia in 1820 with 179 passengers. Retrieved from http://www.convictrecords.com.au/ships/agamemnon/1820
State Library of Queensland. (Retrieved 2016, October 27) Arab voyage to Van Diemen's Land, Australia in 1822 with 155 passengers. Retrieved from http://www.convictrecords.com.au/ships/arab/1822
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 18th February 2021). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/claudine
State Records of South Australia. (Retrieved 2010, November 5) BUCKINGHAMSHIRE 1839. Retrieved from http://www.slsa.sa.gov.au/BSA/1839Buckinghamshire.htm
New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 17th October 2018). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_West_Indies
Commemoration Empress of Ireland 2014. (Retrieved 2014, June 16) . Retrieved from http://www.empress2014.ca/seclangen/listepsc1.html
HMS Repulse Crew members. (Retrieved 2014, April 9) . Retrieved from http://www.forcez-survivors.org.uk/biographies/listrepulsecrew.html
Ships hit by U-boats crew list HMS Royal Oak (08) - (Retrieved 2018 February, 9th) - retrieved from https://uboat.net/allies/merchants/crews/ship68.html