Contents [hide]

Farris History Early Origins Early History Spelling Variations Early Notables Ranking

Contemporary Notables Historic Events Related Stories Suggested Reading Citations

Farris History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
Scotland
Ireland

The surname is one of the thousands of new names that the Norman Conquest brought to England in 1066. The Farris family name, derives one of several place names in Normandy, such as Ferriers, in Gastonois, Normandy. The place name in turn, comes from "ferrière," which refers to an "iron works." They were originally a baronial family from Ferrieres, St. Hilary, near Bernai, Normandy. 1 And early records of 1096, show William de Ferres was a chief leader in the Crusade.

Early Origins of the Farris family

The surname Farris was first found in Staffordshire, where Henry de Fereres of Ferriers-St. Hilaire, Lord of Longueville, Normandy was on record in the Domesday Book of 1086; his castle was at Tutbury, Staffordshire and he had large holdings in Derbyshire, as well as lands in 14 other counties. He was "Domesday commissioner, and the son of Walkelin, Lord of Ferrières St.-Hilaire in Normandy, who was slain during the minority of William the Conqueror. Wace makes him, as 'Henri le Sire de Ferriers,' present at the battle of Hastings." 2

Robert de Ferrers (d. 1139), was a warrior, "the son and heir of Henry de Ferrers [q. v.], the founder of the family. He succeeded his father under Henry I, and is first mentioned in the record of a suit between the abbot of Burton and himself." 2

Other early records include a Henry le Ferrur on record in 1196 in the Curia Regis Rolls for that same county. Said to be descendents of Henry de Fereres, the Norman Ferrers family held the earldom of Derby from 1138 to 1266. 3

Further to the south in the parish of St. Cleather, Cornwall another early branch of the family was found. "Reginald de Ferrar held in East Fenton and West Fenton, several knights' fees of land of the honour of Trematon, which are now East and West hundreds." 4

Early History of the Farris family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Farris research. Another 247 words (18 lines of text) covering the years 1062, 1138, 1139, 1190, 1239, 1271, 1279, 1299, 1300, 1325, 1373, 1423, 1445, 1500, 1526, 1548, 1549, 1555, 1564, 1572, 1579, 1580, 1590, 1592, 1606, 1633, 1637, 1729, 1890 and 1899 are included under the topic Early Farris History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Farris Spelling Variations

Multitudes of spelling variations are a hallmark of Anglo Norman names. Most of these names evolved in the 11th and 12th century, in the time after the Normans introduced their own Norman French language into a country where Old and Middle English had no spelling rules and the languages of the court were French and Latin. To make matters worse, medieval scribes spelled words according to sound, so names frequently appeared differently in the various documents in which they were recorded. The name was spelled Ferris, Ferres, Ferries, Ferras, Farris, Farriss, Faries, de Ferrers, Ferriers, Ferrer and many more.

Early Notables of the Farris family

Outstanding amongst the family at this time was Nicholas Ferrar (1592-1637), English theologian, the third son of Nicholas Ferrar, a London merchant, by his wife Mary, daughter of Laurence Wodenoth of Savington Hall, Cheshire. His father ranked high among the merchants of London, and was interested in the adventures of Hawkins, Drake...
Another 51 words (4 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Farris Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Farris Ranking

In the United States, the name Farris is the 1,112^nd most popular surname with an estimated 27,357 people with that name. 5

Migration of the Farris family to Ireland

Some of the Farris family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 129 words (9 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Farris migration to the United States +

Because of this political and religious unrest within English society, many people decided to immigrate to the colonies. Families left for Ireland, North America, and Australia in enormous numbers, traveling at high cost in extremely inhospitable conditions. The New World in particular was a desirable destination, but the long voyage caused many to arrive sick and starving. Those who made it, though, were welcomed by opportunities far greater than they had known at home in England. Many of these families went on to make important contributions to the emerging nations of Canada and the United States. Analysis of immigration records indicates that some of the first North American immigrants bore the name Farris or a variant listed above:

Farris Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Ellen Farris, who landed in New York, NY in 1815 6
Robert Farris, who landed in New York, NY in 1815 6
Daniel Farris, who landed in Allegany (Allegheny) County, Pennsylvania in 1841 6
John Farris, who arrived in Allegany (Allegheny) County, Pennsylvania in 1844 6
Manuel Farris, aged 40, who arrived in New Orleans, La in 1848 6
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Farris Settlers in United States in the 20th Century

Mike Farris, who arrived in Arkansas in 1901 6
M G Farris, who landed in Mississippi in 1904 6

Farris 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:

Farris Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century

Alfred William Farris, aged 21, a carpenter, who arrived in Otago aboard the ship "Dallam Tower" in 1875
George Henry Farris, aged 23, a carpenter, who arrived in Otago aboard the ship "Dallam Tower" in 1875

Contemporary Notables of the name Farris (post 1700) +

Vera King Farris (1938-2009), American academic, the first African-American president of a New Jersey public college
Major General Jack K. Farris (b. 1934), United States Air Force officer, recipient of the Distinguished Flying Cross, the Purple Heart, and the Meritorious Service Medal
Thomas George Farris (1920-2002), American NFL football quarterback
Amy Farris (1968-2009), American fiddler, singer and songwriter
Darren Farris (b. 1972), American singer-songwriter
Dionne Farris (b. 1969), American R&B/soul musician
Charles J. Farris, American Democratic Party politician, Delegate to Democratic National Convention from Illinois, 1940 7
Anthony J. P. Farris, American Republican politician, Candidate for U.S. Representative from Texas 8th District, 1960, 1962; U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Texas, 1969-74 7
Anna Farris, American Democratic Party politician, Delegate to Democratic National Convention from Arkansas, 2004 7
Andrew Paul Farris (b. 1957), American Libertarian politician, Candidate for U.S. Representative from Texas 11th District, 2002 7
... (Another 22 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Historic Events for the Farris family +

Halifax Explosion

Mr. Joseph Farris (1892-1917), Canadian resident from Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada who died in the Halifax Explosion (1917) 8

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)
Smith, George (ed), Dictionary of National Biography. London: Smith, Elder & Co., 1885-1900. Print
Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)
Hutchins, Fortescue, The History of Cornwall, from the Earliest Records and Traditions to the Present Time. London: William Penaluna, 1824. 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)
The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, November 25) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html
Halifax Explosion Book of Remembrance | Maritime Museum of the Atlantic. (Retrieved 2014, June 23) . Retrieved from https://maritimemuseum.novascotia.ca/what-see-do/halifax-explosion/halifax-explosion-book-remembrance