Farren History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms 

Origins Available: 
  England 
  Ireland 


The origins of the name Farren are from the ancient Anglo-Saxon culture of Britain. It is derived from the given name Farimond. The surname Farren originally derived from the Old French word Ferrant which meant iron-grey. The surname Farren was later adopted in England after the Norman Conquest of 1066. In Old English, patronyms were formed by adding a variety of suffixes to personal names, which changed over time and from place to place. For example, after the Norman Conquest, sunu and sune, which meant son, were the most common patronymic suffixes. In the 12th and 13th centuries, the most common patronymic names included the word filius, which meant son. By the 14th century, the suffix son had replaced these earlier versions. Surnames that were formed with filius or son were more common in the north of England and it was here that the number of individuals without surnames was greatest at this time.

Early Origins of the Farren family

The surname Farren was first found in the eastern counties of Norfolk, Cambridge and Oxfordshire and it is from this latter shire that we found the first record of the name: Henry Ferant who was listed in the Hundredorum Rolls of 1273. Walter Ferrant was listed in the same census but was found in Cambridgeshire. Finally, the same source lists Benedict Feraunt in Norfolk. 1

Early History of the Farren family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Farren research. Another 59 words (4 lines of text) covering the years 1530, 1564, 1569, 1575, 1580, 1600, 1671 and 1890 are included under the topic Early Farren History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Farren Spelling Variations

Sound was what guided spelling in the essentially pre-literate Middle Ages, so one person's name was often recorded under several variations during a single lifetime. Also, before the advent of the printing press and the first dictionaries, the English language was not standardized. Therefore, spelling variations were common, even among the names of the most literate people. Known variations of the Farren family name include Farrant, Farrand, Farrin, Farrent, Farren and others.

Early Notables of the Farren family

Notables of this surname at this time include: Richard Farrant (c. 1530-1580), English composer of church music, choirmaster, playwright and theatrical producer who created the Blackfriars Theatre. The date of his first appointment is not known, but he resigned in April, 1564, on becoming Master of the Children of St. George's Chapel, Windsor, of which he is said to have been also a lay vicar and organist. During his tenure of office at Windsor he occupied 'a dwelling house within the Castle, called the Old Commons.'...
Another 86 words (6 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Farren Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Farren Ranking

In the United States, the name Farren is the 13,068th most popular surname with an estimated 2,487 people with that name. 2

Migration of the Farren family to Ireland

Some of the Farren family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 76 words (5 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.


Farren migration to the United States +

For political, religious, and economic reasons, thousands of English families boarded ships for Ireland, the Canadas, the America colonies, and many of smaller tropical colonies in the hope of finding better lives abroad. Although the passage on the cramped, dank ships caused many to arrive in the New World diseased and starving, those families that survived the trip often went on to make valuable contributions to those new societies to which they arrived. Early immigrants bearing the Farren surname or a spelling variation of the name include:

Farren Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Farren migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Farren Settlers in Canada in the 19th Century

Farren migration to Australia +

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

Farren Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

Farren 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. 9
Farren Settlers in West Indies in the 17th Century

Contemporary Notables of the name Farren (post 1700) +
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