Show ContentsFardon History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

The ancestors of the Fardon surname lived among the Anglo-Saxon tribes of Britain. As a surname, Fardon 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, Fardon may have been a nickname for someone who paid this amount in rent.

Early Origins of the Fardon family

The surname Fardon 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 Fardon family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Fardon 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 Fardon History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Fardon Spelling Variations

Before the last few hundred years, the English language had no fast system of spelling rules. For that reason, spelling variations are commonly found in early Anglo-Saxon surnames. Over the years, many variations of the name Fardon were recorded, including Farthing, Fayting, Farthen, Farden, Fardon, Varthing, Vaytin, Fairthing, Fardin, Farthin and many more.

Early Notables of the Fardon 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...
  • Thomas Fardon (1787-1838) made various timepieces including an Act of Parliament clock and John Fardon III (1782-1865) was a watchmaker who was known to have carried out repairs to the churches of St...


New Zealand Fardon 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:

Fardon Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century
  • William Fardon, aged 16, who arrived in Port Nicholson aboard the ship "Oriental" in 1840
  • Mr. William Fardon, (b. 1823), aged 16, British settler travelling from London aboard the ship "Oriental" arriving in Port Nicholson, Wellington, New Zealand on 31st January 1840 [5]
  • John Fardon, aged 27, a railway wagon builder, who arrived in Wellington, New Zealand aboard the ship "Conflict" in 1874
  • Josephine Fardon, aged 25, who arrived in Wellington, New Zealand aboard the ship "Conflict" in 1874

Contemporary Notables of the name Fardon (post 1700) +

  • Zachary T. Fardon, American lawyer and politician, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois (2013-2017)
  • Lee Fardon (b. 1953), born in Battersea, English singer/songwriter, instrumentalist and recording artist. In the early 70’s he played as a solo artist, playing folk based rock and roll in various London folk clubs, he began writing his own lyrics. He was signed in 1977 by Arista Records when he formed his first band, Lee Fardon and the Legionaires. By 1982 he was signed by Aura Records and formed The Lee Fardon band [6]
  • Don Fardon (b. 1943), born Donald Arthur Maughn, an English pop singer from Coventry, Warwickshire, best known for his cover version of "Indian Reservation" by John D. Loudermilk

RMS Titanic
  • Mr. Charles R. Fardon (d. 1912), (alias Charles Franklin), aged 38, English Third Class passenger from Wellingborough, Northamptonshire who sailed aboard the RMS Titanic and died in the sinking [7]


  1. Harrison, Henry, Surnames of the United Kingdom: A Concise Etymological Dictionary Baltimore: Geneological Publishing Company, 2013. Print
  2. Williams, Dr Ann. And G.H. Martin, Eds., Domesday Book A Complete Translation. London: Penguin, 1992. Print. (ISBN 0-141-00523-8)
  3. Lower, Mark Anthony, Patronymica Britannica, A Dictionary of Family Names of the United Kingdom. London: John Russel Smith, 1860. Print.
  4. Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)
  5. New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 26th March 2019). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html
  6. https://en.everybodywiki.com/Lee_Fardon
  7. Titanic Passenger List - Titanic Facts. (Retrieved 2016, July 13) . Retrieved from http://www.titanicfacts.net/titanic-passenger-list.html


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