Farrar History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms 

Origins Available: 
  England 
  Ireland 
  Scotland 


The founding heritage of the Farrar family is in the Anglo-Saxon culture that once dominated in Britain. The name Farrar comes from when one of the family worked as a shoer of horses, or a farrier. 1 2

In the Middle Ages, horses were the only alternative to walking as a means of transportation. This made the farrier a very important person; not only did they replace horseshoes, but they also diagnosed any number of ailments of the animals. In short, their job was to keep the horse on the road and in good health. This importance was reflected in the fact that they were often free, instead of being bonded to the land in the way that serfs and peasants were.

While this is the generally accepted etymology of the name, one noted source claims the name to be a "corruption of Fair-hair, answering to Le Blond, Harfager, &c. In the Hundredorum Rolls, we have Fayrher. In a document of the year 1555, a Norfolk incumbent is called John Fayrhawr, alias Farrar. " 3

"All these names are variations of Ferrer. The unstressed -er was slurred in pronunciation and variously spelled -ey, -ah, -a, giving Farrey, Farrah and Farra. This was regarded as an incorrect dialectal pronunciation and the name was re-spelled Farrow, on the analogy of barrow. At Hoxne (Suffolk) in 1835, Dinah Farrer signed the marriage register Farrow. Initial Ph- for F- is common and Pharrow, Pharoe were associated with the biblical Pharaoh, which, however, may occasionally be a pageant name or a nickname." 4

Early Origins of the Farrar family

The surname Farrar was first found in the West Riding of Yorkshire at Wortley, a chapelry, in the parish of St. Peter, liberty of the borough of Leeds. "This place, in the Domesday Survey styled Wyrteley, formerly belonged to the Farrars, of Halifax, from whom the manor was purchased in 1766 by the family of the present owner." 5 "Once a great Yorkshire trade-name, now a great Yorkshire surname." 1

"The West Riding of Yorkshire would seem to be the principal home of the Farrars or Farrers, though the name has long been known in this county. There was a gentle family of Farrar at Harrold in the 17th century. The Farrers of Halifax were an ancient gentle family, possessing the Eawood estate in that parish in the 16th century (W.); and William Farrer was a Halifax gentleman in the reign of Charles II. (D.). The Farrers of Leeds were an old family of Wortley in that parish, and were lords of the manor at the beginning of last century: in 1694, Miles Farrer was master of the Free School, Leeds; one branch of this family trace their pedigree to the time of Elizabeth." 6

The Yorkshire Poll Tax Rolls of 1379 included the following entries: Willelmus Ferour, ferour; Johannes Crayk, ferour; Hugo Farrour; and Thomas Farrour. 1

As one would expect with Yorkshire's proximity to Scotland, some of the first records in Scotland were "William Farar, chaplain and charter witness, 1491. Walter Fayrhare was a forestalls in Aberdeen, 1402. In 1559 John Farar in Inverness 'is contentit and he be fundyn slaing salmon on the Vater of Nes to be hangit'" 7 In some cases the name could have been a variant of Farquhar.

Early History of the Farrar family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Farrar research. Another 294 words (21 lines of text) covering the years 1379, 1402, 1525, 1562, 1585, 1613, 1632, 1641, 1642, 1652, 1675, 1679, 1689, 1691, 1692, 1754, 1796, 1802, 1837, 1879 and 1884 are included under the topic Early Farrar History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Farrar Spelling Variations

The first dictionaries that appeared in the last few hundred years did much to standardize the English language. Before that time, spelling variations in names were a common occurrence. The language was changing, incorporating pieces of other languages, and the spelling of names changed with it. Farrar has been spelled many different ways, including Farrar, Farrer, Farror, Farrough, Farrow, Farrowe, Varrow, Varrowe, Varow, Vairow, Varer and many more.

Early Notables of the Farrar family

Notables of this surname at this time include:

Farrar Ranking

In the United States, the name Farrar is the 2,205th most popular surname with an estimated 14,922 people with that name. 8

Migration of the Farrar family to Ireland

Some of the Farrar family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 32 words (2 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.


Farrar migration to the United States +

Thousands of English families in this era began to emigrate the New World in search of land and freedom from religious and political persecution. Although the passage was expensive and the ships were dark, crowded, and unsafe, those who made the voyage safely were rewarded with opportunities unavailable to them in their homeland. Research into passenger and immigration lists has revealed some of the very first Farrars to arrive in North America:

Farrar Settlers in United States in the 17th Century
Farrar Settlers in United States in the 18th Century
Farrar Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Farrar migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Farrar Settlers in Canada in the 18th Century
Farrar Settlers in Canada in the 19th Century

Farrar 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:

Farrar Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century

Contemporary Notables of the name Farrar (post 1700) +


Suggested Readings for the name Farrar +
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