Faraday History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England

Early Origins of the Faraday family

The surname Faraday was first found in Staffordshire at Fradley, a village and civil parish in Lichfield District. Fradley heath formed part of the extensive waste of Alrewas-Hay, but was inclosed about 1805. 1 The village dates back to the 12 century when it was first recorded as 'Frodeleye', or 'Frod's lea'. Alrewas and Fradley, was a large civil parish that was divided into the two new parishes of Alrewas and Fradley in 2009.

Early History of the Faraday family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Faraday research. Another 129 words (9 lines of text) covering the years 1167, 1214, 1463, 1510 and 1600 are included under the topic Early Faraday History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Faraday Spelling Variations

It is only in the last few hundred years that the English language has been standardized. For that reason, Anglo-Norman surnames like Faraday are characterized by many spelling variations. Scribes and monks in the Middle Ages spelled names they sounded, so it is common to find several variations that refer to a single person. As the English language changed and incorporated elements of other European languages such as Norman French and Latin, even literate people regularly changed the spelling of their names. The variations of the name Faraday include Friday, Fridaye, Freeday, Freyday, Feraday, Fareday, Fryeday, Farraday, Farady, Fridey, Faraday, Frieday, Fryday and many more.

Early Notables of the Faraday family

More information is included under the topic Early Faraday Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Faraday migration to the United States +

Faced with the chaos present in England at that time, many English families looked towards the open frontiers of the New World with its opportunities to escape oppression and starvation. People migrated to North America, as well as Australia and Ireland in droves, paying exorbitant rates for passages in cramped, unsafe ships. Many of the settlers did not make the long passage alive, but those who did see the shores of North America were welcomed with great opportunity. Many of the families that came from England went on to make essential contributions to the emerging nations of Canada and the United States. Some of the first immigrants to cross the Atlantic and come to North America carried the name Faraday, or a variant listed above:

Faraday Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Benjamin Faraday, who landed in Washington County, Pennsylvania in 1874 2

Faraday 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:

Faraday Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century

Richard Faraday, who arrived in Wellington, New Zealand aboard the ship "British King" in 1883

Contemporary Notables of the name Faraday (post 1700) +

Michael Faraday (1791-1867), English physicist and chemist, discovered benzene and the principles of current induction
Percy Faraday Frankland CBE FRS (1858-1946), British chemist
Lt. Colonel Gilbert Faraday Collett DSO (1879-1945), English sportsman who was an international rugby union player

Citations +

Lewis, Samuel, A Topographical Dictionary of England. Institute of Historical Research, 1848, Print.
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)