Contents [hide]

Farquhar History Early Origins Early History Spelling Variations Early Notables Ranking

Ireland United States Australia New Zealand

Contemporary Notables Historic Events Related Stories Motto Citations

Farquhar History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
Scotland
Ireland

The name Farquhar was first used by the people of an ancient Scottish tribe called the Strathclyde Britons. Farquhar is derived from the Gaelic MacFhearchair which means son of Farquhar and Farquhar is derived from the Gaelic word Fearchar which means very dear one. So, the name means son of the very dear one.

Early Origins of the Farquhar family

The surname Farquhar was first found in Ayrshire (Gaelic: Siorrachd Inbhir Àir), formerly a county in the southwestern Strathclyde region of Scotland, that today makes up the Council Areas of South, East, and North Ayrshire, where they have enjoyed their seat at Kyle Stewart for many generations. The history is quite separate from that of Farquharson.

Robert Farquhar, Laird of Gilmilnescroft about the year 1350 was the first Chief on record and he was probably a direct descendant of Ferchart, father of Fergus, one of the chiefs setting the bounds of Newbattle Abbey in 1178. Descended was Ferkar, Earl of Ross, 1224-1231, and at this time a branch was started in the north at Caithness at Ederlarg.

Early History of the Farquhar family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Farquhar research. Another 129 words (9 lines of text) covering the years 1445, 1646, 1677, 1706 and 1707 are included under the topic Early Farquhar History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Farquhar Spelling Variations

Medieval Scottish names are rife with spelling variations. This is due to the fact that scribes in that era spelled according to the sound of words, rather than any set of rules. Farquhar has been spelled Farquhar, Farquher, Farker, Farkar, Forker, Farquar, Farquer and many more.

Early Notables of the Farquhar family

Notable amongst the family at this time was

Farquhar of Gilmilnescroft

Farquhar Ranking

In the United States, the name Farquhar is the 12,227^th most popular surname with an estimated 2,487 people with that name. 1

Migration of the Farquhar family to Ireland

Some of the Farquhar family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 64 words (5 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Farquhar migration to the United States +

Many Scots were left with few options other than to leave their homeland for the colonies across the Atlantic. Some of these families fought to defend their newfound freedom in the American War of Independence. Others went north to Canada as United Empire Loyalists. The ancestors of all of these families have recently been able to rediscover their roots through Clan societies and other Scottish organizations. Among them:

Farquhar Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

William Farquhar, who landed in New Hampshire in 1700 2
John Farquhar, who settled in Carolina in 1724
Alexander Farquhar, who landed in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1745 2
Robert Farquhar, who arrived in Georgia in 1773 2
Robert Farquhar, who settled in Charles Town [Charleston], South Carolina in 1795

Farquhar Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Thomas Farquhar, who arrived in Pennsylvania in 1846

Farquhar migration to Australia +

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

Farquhar Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

Mr. James Farquhar, British Convict who was convicted in London, England for life, transported aboard the "Countess of Harcourt" on 8th April 1821, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land) 3
Mr. James Farquhar, British Convict who was convicted in Middlesex, England for life, transported aboard the "Earl St Vincent" on 20th April 1826, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land) 4
Mr. James Farquhar, Scottish convict who was convicted in Aberdeen, Scotland for life, transported aboard the "Fairlie" on 14th October 1833, arriving in New South Wales, Australia 5
Miss Margaret Farquhar, Scottish convict who was convicted in Edinburgh, Scotland for 7 years, transported aboard the "Buffalo" on 4th May 1833, arriving in New South Wales, Australia 6
David Farquhar, who arrived in Adelaide, Australia aboard the ship "Culdee" in 1840 7
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Farquhar 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:

Farquhar Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century

John Farquhar, aged 33, a blacksmith, who arrived in Hawkes Bay aboard the ship "Bebington" in 1874
Dinah Farquhar, aged 25, who arrived in Hawkes Bay aboard the ship "Bebington" in 1874
William Farquhar, aged 7, who arrived in Hawkes Bay aboard the ship "Bebington" in 1874
John Farquhar, aged 5, who arrived in Hawkes Bay aboard the ship "Bebington" in 1874
Philip Farquhar, aged 3, who arrived in Hawkes Bay aboard the ship "Bebington" in 1874
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Contemporary Notables of the name Farquhar (post 1700) +

Robert Willard Farquhar (1932-2015), American mission design specialist who worked for NASA
Marion Jones Farquhar (1879-1965), American female tennis player who won the women's singles titles at the 1899 and 1902 U.S. Championships, inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame in 2006
Rear Admiral Norman von Heldreich Farquhar (1840-1907), American officer in the United States Navy during the American Civil War, eponym of the USS Farquhar (DD-304), a Clemson-class destroyer
Henry Hallowell Farquhar (1884-1968), American academic, writer, and businessman
Daniel Andres "Danny" Farquhar (b. 1987), American professional baseball pitcher for the Seattle Mariners and the Toronto Blue Jays
Robert David Farquhar (1872-1967), American architect
Francis Peloubet Farquhar (1887-1974), American mountaineer and environmentalist, President of the Sierra Club from 1933 to 1935 and from 1948 to 1949
James Farquhar, American politician, Delegate to Missouri State Constitutional Convention 16th District, 1845-46 8
Ira Dudley Farquhar (1894-1946), American politician, U.S. Vice Consul in Barcelona, 1917-18, 1918; Bilbao, 1918; Lawyer 8
David W. Farquhar, American Republican politician, Delegate to Republican National Convention from Massachusetts, 1888 8
... (Another 17 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Historic Events for the Farquhar family +

HMS Royal Oak

John Farquhar, British Able Seaman with the Royal Navy aboard the HMS Royal Oak (1939) when she was torpedoed by U-47 and sunk; he survived the sinking 9

USS Arizona

Mr. Lawrence A. Farquhar, American Fire Control man Second Class working aboard the ship "USS Arizona" when she sunk during the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor on 7th December 1941, he survived the sinking 10

The Farquhar Motto +

The motto was originally a war cry or slogan. Mottoes first began to be shown with arms in the 14th and 15th centuries, but were not in general use until the 17th century. Thus the oldest coats of arms generally do not include a motto. Mottoes seldom form part of the grant of arms: Under most heraldic authorities, a motto is an optional component of the coat of arms, and can be added to or changed at will; many families have chosen not to display a motto.

Motto: Sto cado fide et amis
Motto Translation: I stand and fall by faith and arms.

Citations +

"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 24th March 2021). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/countess-of-harcourt
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 14th September 2021). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/earl-st-vincent
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 21st September 2022). https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/fairlie
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 3rd November 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/buffalo
State Records of South Australia. (Retrieved 2010, November 5) CULDEE 1840. Retrieved from http://www.slsa.sa.gov.au/BSA/1840Culdee.gif
The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, December 1) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.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
Pearl Harbour: USS Arizona Casualties List Pearl Harbour December 7, 1941. (Retrieved 2018, July 31st). Retrieved from http://pearl-harbor.com/arizona/casualtylist.html