Show ContentsFarlow History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Etymology of Farlow

What does the name Farlow mean?

The origins of the Farlow name lie with England's ancient Anglo-Saxon culture. It comes from when the family lived in the region of Fairleigh or Fairley. The surname Farlow is a topographic surname, which was given to a person who resided near a physical feature such as a hill, stream, church, or type of tree. Habitation names form the other broad category of surnames that were derived from place-names.

Early Origins of the Farlow family

The surname Farlow was first found in Shropshire at Farlow, a small village and civil parish that dates back to the Domesday Book of 1086 where it was listed as Ferlau 1 and literally meant "fern-covered mound or hill" 2 from the Old English words "fearn" + "hlaw." Traditionally part of Herefordshire, it was part of the hundred of Stottesden. Farlow or Fawler is a chapelry, in the parish of Sparsholt, union of Farringdon, hundred of Shrivenham in Berkshire. 3

Early History of the Farlow family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Farlow research. Another 55 words (4 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Farlow History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Farlow Spelling Variations

Before the last few hundred years, the English language had no fast system of spelling rules. For that reason, spelling variations are commonly found in early Anglo-Saxon surnames. Over the years, many variations of the name Farlow were recorded, including Farlow, Farlough and others.

Early Notables of the Farlow family

Notables of this surname at this time include:

  • James Farlow of Lancashire

Farlow Ranking

In the United States, the name Farlow is the 11,235th most popular surname with an estimated 2,487 people with that name. 4

Migration of the Farlow family to Ireland

Some of the Farlow family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 52 words (4 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.


Farlow migration to the United States +

To escape oppression and starvation at that time, many English families left for the "open frontiers" of the New World with all its perceived opportunities. In droves people migrated to the many British colonies, those in North America in particular, paying high rates for passages in cramped, unsafe ships. Although many of the settlers did not make the long passage alive, those who did see the shores of North America perceived great opportunities before them. Many of the families that came from England went on to make essential contributions to the emerging nations of Canada and the United States. Research into various historical records revealed some of first members of the Farlow family emigrate to North America:

Farlow Settlers in United States in the 17th Century
  • Alexander Farlow, who settled in Virginia in 1654
  • Alex Farlow, who arrived in Virginia in 1654 5
  • William Farlow, who arrived in Virginia in 1662 5
  • Fra Farlow, who arrived in Virginia in 1663 5
  • Edw Farlow, who arrived in Virginia in 1663 5
Farlow Settlers in United States in the 19th Century
  • Isiah, James and Robert Farlow, who arrived in Pennsylvania between 1844 and 1854

Contemporary Notables of the name Farlow (post 1700) +

  • William Gilson Farlow (1844-1919), American botanist, president of the American Society of Naturalists (1899)
  • Talmage Holt "Tal" Farlow (1921-1998), American jazz guitarist nicknamed the "Octopus"
  • Robert Farlow (b. 1962), American professional football player
  • James Farlow, American vertebrate paleontologist
  • Noah Farlow, American Democratic Party politician, Alternate Delegate to Democratic National Convention from Wyoming, 1916 6
  • C. C. Farlow, American politician, Mayor of Beatrice, Nebraska, 1926 6
  • Jarred Farlow (b. 1986), Australian professional rugby league footballer


  1. Williams, Dr Ann. And G.H. Martin, Eds., Domesday Book A Complete Translation. London: Penguin, 1992. Print. (ISBN 0-141-00523-8)
  2. Mills, A.D., Dictionary of English Place-Names. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-19-869156-4)
  3. Lewis, Samuel, A Topographical Dictionary of England. Institute of Historical Research, 1848, Print.
  4. "What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
  5. 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)
  6. The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, December 1) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html


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