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Farrier History Early Origins Early History Spelling Variations Early Notables Ranking

Contemporary Notables Related Stories Citations

Farrier History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
France
Ireland
Scotland

The name Farrier is rooted in the ancient Anglo-Saxon culture. It was originally a name for someone who worked as a shoer of horses, or a farrier. 1 2

In the Middle Ages, horses were the only alternative to walking as a means of transportation. This made the farrier a very important person; not only did they replace horseshoes, but they also diagnosed any number of ailments of the animals. In short, their job was to keep the horse on the road and in good health. This importance was reflected in the fact that they were often free, instead of being bonded to the land in the way that serfs and peasants were.

While this is the generally accepted etymology of the name, one noted source claims the name to be a "corruption of Fair-hair, answering to Le Blond, Harfager, &c. In the Hundredorum Rolls, we have Fayrher. In a document of the year 1555, a Norfolk incumbent is called John Fayrhawr, alias Farrar. " 3

"All these names are variations of Ferrer. The unstressed -er was slurred in pronunciation and variously spelled -ey, -ah, -a, giving Farrey, Farrah and Farra. This was regarded as an incorrect dialectal pronunciation and the name was re-spelled Farrow, on the analogy of barrow. At Hoxne (Suffolk) in 1835, Dinah Farrer signed the marriage register Farrow. Initial Ph- for F- is common and Pharrow, Pharoe were associated with the biblical Pharaoh, which, however, may occasionally be a pageant name or a nickname." 4

Early Origins of the Farrier family

The surname Farrier was first found in the West Riding of Yorkshire at Wortley, a chapelry, in the parish of St. Peter, liberty of the borough of Leeds. "This place, in the Domesday Survey styled Wyrteley, formerly belonged to the Farrars, of Halifax, from whom the manor was purchased in 1766 by the family of the present owner." 5 "Once a great Yorkshire trade-name, now a great Yorkshire surname." 1

"The West Riding of Yorkshire would seem to be the principal home of the Farrars or Farrers, though the name has long been known in this county. There was a gentle family of Farrar at Harrold in the 17th century. The Farrers of Halifax were an ancient gentle family, possessing the Eawood estate in that parish in the 16th century (W.); and William Farrer was a Halifax gentleman in the reign of Charles II. (D.). The Farrers of Leeds were an old family of Wortley in that parish, and were lords of the manor at the beginning of last century: in 1694, Miles Farrer was master of the Free School, Leeds; one branch of this family trace their pedigree to the time of Elizabeth." 6

The Yorkshire Poll Tax Rolls of 1379 included the following entries: Willelmus Ferour, ferour; Johannes Crayk, ferour; Hugo Farrour; and Thomas Farrour. 1

As one would expect with Yorkshire's proximity to Scotland, some of the first records in Scotland were "William Farar, chaplain and charter witness, 1491. Walter Fayrhare was a forestalls in Aberdeen, 1402. In 1559 John Farar in Inverness 'is contentit and he be fundyn slaing salmon on the Vater of Nes to be hangit'" 7 In some cases the name could have been a variant of Farquhar.

Early History of the Farrier family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Farrier research. Another 294 words (21 lines of text) covering the years 1379, 1402, 1525, 1562, 1585, 1613, 1632, 1641, 1642, 1652, 1675, 1679, 1689, 1691, 1692, 1754, 1796, 1802, 1837, 1879 and 1884 are included under the topic Early Farrier History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Farrier Spelling Variations

It is only in the last few hundred years that the English language has been standardized. For that reason, early Anglo-Saxon surnames like Farrier are characterized by many spelling variations. As the English language changed and incorporated elements of other European languages, even literate people changed the spelling of their names. The variations of the name Farrier include Farrar, Farrer, Farror, Farrough, Farrow, Farrowe, Varrow, Varrowe, Varow, Vairow, Varer and many more.

Early Notables of the Farrier family

Notables of this surname at this time include:

Robert Farrier (1796-1879), was an English painter, born at Chelsea, and resided in that locality during the whole of his life. John Farrar (1802-1884), was president of the Wesleyan Methodist confere...

Farrier Ranking

In the United States, the name Farrier is the 16,955^th most popular surname with an estimated 2,487 people with that name. 8

Migration of the Farrier family to Ireland

Some of the Farrier family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 32 words (2 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Farrier migration to the United States +

Many English families tired of political and religious strife left Britain for the new colonies in North America. Although the trip itself offered no relief - conditions on the ships were extremely cramped, and many travelers arrived diseased, starving, and destitute - these immigrants believed the opportunities that awaited them were worth the risks. Once in the colonies, many of the families did indeed prosper and, in turn, made significant contributions to the culture and economies of the growing colonies. An inquiry into the early roots of North American families has revealed a number of immigrants bearing the name Farrier or a variant listed above:

Farrier Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Emanuel Farrier, who landed in New York in 1845 9
James R Farrier, aged 33, who settled in America, in 1892
Margaret Farrier, aged 29, who immigrated to America, in 1895
Helen Farrier, aged 42, who settled in America, in 1895

Farrier Settlers in United States in the 20th Century

Dick Farrier, aged 25, who landed in America from London, in 1904
Elush Farrier, aged 31, who immigrated to the United States from Sandonn, England, in 1907
Ivy Farrier, aged 3, who immigrated to the United States from Sandonn, England, in 1907
Helen Farrier, aged 60, who landed in America from Kingston, Jamaica, in 1908
Mary L. Farrier, aged 30, who landed in America, in 1911
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Farrier migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Farrier Settlers in Canada in the 19th Century

John Farrier, who arrived in Canada in 1815

Farrier migration to Australia +

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

Farrier Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

Miss Isabella Farrier, (Ferrier), (b. 1811), aged 18, Irish cotton spinner who was convicted in Antrim, Ireland for 7 years for stealing, transported aboard the "Edward" on 1st January 1829, arriving in New South Wales, Australia, she died in 1876 10

Contemporary Notables of the name Farrier (post 1700) +

Frederick T. Farrier (b. 1972), former American college football player and coach
Nelson G. Farrier (b. 1887), American Republican politician, Montmorency County Treasurer, 1913-16; Member of Michigan State House of Representatives from Presque Isle District, 1917-28 11
George H. Farrier, American politician, Member of New Jersey State House of Assembly from Hudson County, 1872-73, 1882 11
Robert Farrier (1796-1879), English painter
Ancil Brandon Farrier (b. 1986), Trinidad and Tobago association football player

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)
Baring-Gould S., Family Names and their Story. London: Seeley, Service & Co. Limited, 1913. Print
Lower, Mark Anthony, Patronymica Britannica, A Dictionary of Family Names of the United Kingdom. London: John Russel Smith, 1860. Print.
Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)
Lewis, Samuel, A Topographical Dictionary of England. Institute of Historical Research, 1848, Print.
Guppy, Henry Brougham, Homes of Family Names in Great Britain. 1890. 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)
"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 19th November 2021). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/edward
The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, November 25) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html