Contents [hide]

Farthing History Early Origins Early History Spelling Variations Early Notables Ranking

United States Canada Australia New Zealand West Indies

Contemporary Notables Historic Events Related Stories Citations

Farthing History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England

The ancestors of the Farthing surname lived among the Anglo-Saxon tribes of Britain. As a surname, Farthing may have derived from a few sources. There was an Old Norse personal name "Faerthegn," which meant "a traveling warrior" or "Thane (Lord)," a mercenary who led a band of warriors and settled local disputes. 1

The "Farthing" denomination of English coinage dates back to the Old English "feorthing," which was a quarter of a penny. In this instance, Farthing may have been a nickname for someone who paid this amount in rent.

Early Origins of the Farthing family

The surname Farthing was first found in Devon where this ancient Anglo Saxon name was derived from the name Faerthegn and, immediately before the Norman Conquest as Farthein. The name was recorded in the Domesday Book in 1086 as Fardan or Fardein. 2 3

An extensive search of early rolls revealed Geoffrey Ferthing, recorded in the Hundredorum Rolls of 1273; William Ferthing, listed in the Writs of Parliament for 1300; Richard Ferthing in the Close Rolls, 18 Edward I (during the eighteenth year of King Edward I's reign); and Robertus Farthing listed in the Yorkshire Poll Tax Rolls of 1379. 4

The name could have originated in Faringdon, Berkshire where Thomas Fartheyn (1311), Thomas Fardeyn (1330) and Thomas Farendyn (1323) were all listed in the Writs of Parliament. The three entries above refer to one individual. 4

Early History of the Farthing family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Farthing research. Another 46 words (3 lines of text) covering the years 1700, 1723, 1736, 1743, 1782, 1786, 1787, 1801, 1830, 1838 and 1865 are included under the topic Early Farthing History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Farthing 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 Farthing 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 Farthing include: Farthing, Fayting, Farthen, Farden, Fardon, Varthing, Vaytin, Fairthing, Fardin, Farthin and many more.

Early Notables of the Farthing family

Distinguished members of the family include John Fardon I (1700-1743), an English clockmaker was apprenticed to Thomas Gilkes of Sibford Gower and traded in Deddington from about 1723. His only son John Fardon II (1736-1786) was only 10 years old when his father died and seems to have been apprenticed in London. He and his...
Another 54 words (4 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Farthing Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Farthing Ranking

In the United States, the name Farthing is the 9,030^th most popular surname with an estimated 2,487 people with that name. 5

Farthing 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 Farthing or a variant listed above:

Farthing Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

Barr Farthing, who landed in Virginia in 1636 6
Robert and Bertha Farthing, who settled in Virginia in 1637
Robert Farthing, who landed in Virginia in 1637 6
Barth Farthing, who arrived in Virginia in 1638 6
Joane Farthing, who arrived in Maryland in 1661 6
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Farthing Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

George Farthing, who arrived in Philadelphia in 1808

Farthing migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Farthing Settlers in Canada in the 19th Century

Cyrus Farthing, who settled in Herring Neck in Newfoundland in 1871 7

Farthing migration to Australia +

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

Farthing Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

John Farthing, English convict from Middlesex, who was transported aboard the "Almorah" on April 1817, settling in New South Wales, Australia 8
Mr. Robert Farthing, English convict who was convicted in London, England for life, transported aboard the "David Lyon" on 29th April 1830, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land) 9
Mr. Henry Farthing, (b. 1811), aged 23, English convict who was convicted in Worcester, Worcestershire, England for 14 years for highway robbery, transported aboard the "Bengal Merchant" on 27th September 1834, arriving in New South Wales, Australia 10
Elizabeth Farthing, who arrived in Adelaide, Australia aboard the ship "Asia" in 1839 11
Francis Farthing, aged 48, a carpenter, who arrived in South Australia in 1855 aboard the ship "Telegraph"

Farthing 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:

Farthing Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century

Mr. Farthing, British settler travelling from London aboard the ship "Zealandia" arriving in Lyttelton, Christchurch, South Island, New Zealand on 8th December 1863 12

Farthing 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. 13

Farthing Settlers in West Indies in the 17th Century

Edward Farthing, who settled in Barbados in 1678

Contemporary Notables of the name Farthing (post 1700) +

Major-General William Eugene Farthing (1892-1964), American Commanding General Atlantic Overseas Air Technical Service Command (1943-1945) 14
W. S. Farthing, American politician, Member of North Carolina State Senate 35th District, 1889 15
W. H. Farthing, American politician, Member of North Carolina State Senate 30th District, 1895 15
Paul Farthing (b. 1887), American Democratic Party politician, St. Clair County Judge, 1930-33; Justice of Illinois State Supreme Court, 1933-42; Chief Justice of Illinois State Supreme Court, 1937-38; Delegate to Democratic National Convention from Illinois, 1936 15
James Colly Farthing (1913-1967), American Democratic Party politician, Solicitor, 16th Solicitorial District, 1947-57; Delegate to Democratic National Convention from North Carolina, 1948, 1956; Superior Court Judge in North Carolina, 1957-67; Judge, North Carolina Court of Appeals, 1967 15
Edyth R. Farthing (1896-1977), American Republican politician, Candidate in primary for Michigan State House of Representatives from Ingham County 1st District, 1960 15
Chester H. Farthing, American Democratic Party politician, Delegate to Democratic National Convention from Illinois, 1940 15
Walter John Farthing (1887-1954), British Labour Party politician
Dan Farthing (b. 1969), former Canadian Football League wide receiver for the Saskatchewan Roughriders
Hugh Cragg Farthing (1892-1969), Canadian politician in Alberta
... (Another 2 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Historic Events for the Farthing family +

RMS Titanic

Mr. John Farthing, aged 57, American First Class passenger from New York City, New York who sailed aboard the RMS Titanic and survived the sinking escaping in life boat 16

Citations +

Harrison, Henry, Surnames of the United Kingdom: A Concise Etymological Dictionary Baltimore: Geneological Publishing Company, 2013. Print
Williams, Dr Ann. And G.H. Martin, Eds., Domesday Book A Complete Translation. London: Penguin, 1992. Print. (ISBN 0-141-00523-8)
Lower, Mark Anthony, Patronymica Britannica, A Dictionary of Family Names of the United Kingdom. London: John Russel Smith, 1860. Print.
Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)
"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)
Seary E.R., Family Names of the Island of Newfoundland, Montreal: McGill's-Queen's Universtity Press 1998 ISBN 0-7735-1782-0
State Library of Queensland. (Retrieved 2016, October 27) Almorah voyage to New South Wales, Australia in 1817 with 180 passengers. Retrieved from http://www.convictrecords.com.au/ships/almorah/1817
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 3rd June 2021). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/david-lyon
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 7th October 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/bengal-merchant
State Library of South Australia. (Retrieved 2016, October 27) ASIA 1839 from London with Captain Benjamin Freeman and 245 passengers, arrived Port Adelaide on 16-07-1839. Retrieved from http://www.slsa.sa.gov.au/BSA/1839Asia-list.htm
New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 26th March 2019). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_West_Indies
Generals of World War II. (Retrieved 2012, February 29) William Farthing. Retrieved from http://generals.dk/general/Farthing/William_Eugene/USA.html
The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2016, March 10) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html
Titanic Passenger List - Titanic Facts. (Retrieved 2016, July 13) . Retrieved from http://www.titanicfacts.net/titanic-passenger-list.html