Farmer History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms 

Origins Available: 
  England 
  Ireland 
  Scotland 


The name Farmer came to England with the ancestors of the Farmer family in the Norman Conquest in 1066. The surname Farmer is for a tax farmer. A tax farmer was one who undertook the collection of taxes, tariffs, and such for a fixed sum. 1 The name only refers secondarily to its more literal and obvious connotations of one who worked as a farmer in the modern sense of the word, managing an area of land and growing produce and livestock.

In England, the surname has the expected origin: "a cultivator of the ground" 2 or "one who cultivated a farm." 3

Early Origins of the Farmer family

The surname Farmer was first found in various counties and shires throughout ancient Britain. To confuse matters, early rolls added the occupation to some entries, thus making research difficult. By example, one of the earliest records was: Robertus Friston, farmer de Parsonage in 1372. The Yorkshire Poll Tax Rolls of 1379 had numerous such entries: Ricardus de Wenteworth, firmarius unius Grauuge; Johannes del Grange, fermour del Grange; and so on. 3

However, in Scotland records are clearer: "Richard Femiarius was juror on inquest at Peebles, 1262; Alan Fermour witnessed instrument signed at St. Andrews, 1391; the land of Andrew Fermour in Perth is mentioned, 1458; and in the following year William Fermore, presbyter, is in record." 1 This clarity may be as a result of the different meaning of the surname there.

Early History of the Farmer family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Farmer research. Another 150 words (11 lines of text) covering the years 1066, 1250, 1458, 1480, 1551, 1553, 1586, 1591, 1592, 1599, 1601, 1603, 1619, 1623, 1640, 1648, 1658, 1661, 1685, 1687 and 1711 are included under the topic Early Farmer History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Farmer Spelling Variations

Anglo-Norman names tend to be marked by an enormous number of spelling variations. This is largely due to the fact that Old and Middle English lacked any spelling rules when Norman French was introduced in the 11th century. The languages of the English courts at that time were French and Latin. These various languages mixed quite freely in the evolving social milieu. The final element of this mix is that medieval scribes spelled words according to their sounds rather than any definite rules, so a name was often spelled in as many different ways as the number of documents it appeared in. The name was spelled Farmer, Farmere, Farmers, Fermare and others.

Early Notables of the Farmer family

Outstanding amongst the family at this time was

Farmer World Ranking

In the United States, the name Farmer is the 357th most popular surname with an estimated 74,610 people with that name. 4 However, in Australia, the name Farmer is ranked the 667th most popular surname with an estimated 5,877 people with that name. 5 And in New Zealand, the name Farmer is the 735th popular surname with an estimated 980 people with that name. 6 The United Kingdom ranks Farmer as 468th with 13,938 people. 7

Migration of the Farmer family to Ireland

Some of the Farmer family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 54 words (4 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.


Farmer migration to the United States +

Because of the political and religious discontent in England, families began to migrate abroad in enormous numbers. Faced with persecution and starvation at home, the open frontiers and generally less oppressive social environment of the New World seemed tantalizing indeed to many English people. The trip was difficult, and not all made it unscathed, but many of those who did get to Canada and the United States made important contributions to the young nations in which they settled. Some of the first North American settlers with Farmer name or one of its variants:

Farmer Settlers in United States in the 17th Century
Farmer Settlers in United States in the 18th Century
Farmer Settlers in United States in the 19th Century
Farmer Settlers in United States in the 20th Century

Farmer migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Farmer Settlers in Canada in the 19th Century

Farmer migration to Australia +

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

Farmer Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

Farmer 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:

Farmer Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century

Farmer 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. 15
Farmer Settlers in West Indies in the 17th Century

Contemporary Notables of the name Farmer (post 1700) +


Suggested Readings for the name Farmer +
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