Show ContentsFarrell History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Early Origins of the Farrell family

The surname Farrell was first found in Provence where this family held a family seat from very early times.

Early History of the Farrell family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Farrell research. Another 199 words (14 lines of text) covering the years 1329, 1361, 1381, 1480, 1517, 1600, 1613, 1664, 1680, 1686, 1704, 1708 and 1711 are included under the topic Early Farrell History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Farrell Spelling Variations

Spelling variations of this family name include: Forel, Forelle, Forelles, Faurel, Faurelle, Faurelles, Forels, Faurels, de Forel, de Forelle, de Forelles, de Faurel, de Faurelle, de Faurelles, de Forels, de Faurels, Farrel and many more.

Early Notables of the Farrell family

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

Farrell World Ranking

In the United States, the name Farrell is the 658th most popular surname with an estimated 44,766 people with that name. 1 However, in Canada, the name Farrell is ranked the 545th most popular surname with an estimated 8,969 people with that name. 2 And in Newfoundland, Canada, the name Farrell is the 114th popular surname with an estimated 306 people with that name. 3 Australia ranks Farrell as 318th with 11,148 people. 4 New Zealand ranks Farrell as 411st with 1,599 people. 5 The United Kingdom ranks Farrell as 384th with 16,670 people. 6


United States Farrell migration to the United States +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Farrell Settlers in United States in the 17th Century
  • Simon Farrell, aged 19, British settler who arrived in Virginia in 1635 aboard the ship "Abraham" 7
  • Mr. Edmond Farrell, (b. 1615), aged 20, British settler traveling aboard the ship "Safety" arriving in Virginia in 1635 8
  • Garrett Farrell, who arrived in Virginia in 1637 7
  • Alexander Farrell, who arrived in Virginia in 1656 7
  • Tho Farrell, who landed in Virginia in 1657 7
  • ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)
Farrell Settlers in United States in the 18th Century
  • Margaret Farrell, who landed in Virginia in 1701 7
  • Margaret Farrell, who arrived in Virginia in 1701 7
  • Frances Farrell, who landed in Virginia in 1701 7
  • Marquess Farrell, who arrived in Virginia in 1702 7
  • Honour Farrell, who arrived in Virginia in 1702 7
  • ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)
Farrell Settlers in United States in the 19th Century
  • William Farrell, aged 3, who arrived in New York, NY in 1803 7
  • Thomas Farrell, aged 23, who arrived in New York, NY in 1803 7
  • Eliz Farrell, aged 22, who arrived in New York, NY in 1803 7
  • Flizabeth Farrell, aged 22, who landed in New York, NY in 1803 7
  • Payton Farrell, who landed in New York, NY in 1804 7
  • ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)
Farrell Settlers in United States in the 20th Century
  • Mr. William J. Farrell, (b. 1884), aged 21, Cornish miner travelling aboard the ship "Philadelphia" arriving at Ellis Island, New York in 1905 en route to Mohawk, Michigan, USA 9

Canada Farrell migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Farrell Settlers in Canada in the 18th Century
  • Patrick Farrell, who landed in Nova Scotia in 1749
  • Richard Farrell, who arrived in Halifax, Nova Scotia in 1749
  • John Farrell, who landed in Halifax, Nova Scotia in 1778
  • Mr. William Farrell U.E. who settled in Saint John, New Brunswick c. 1784 10
Farrell Settlers in Canada in the 19th Century
  • Daniel John Farrell, who arrived in Nova Scotia in 1807
  • John Farrell, who landed in Nova Scotia in 1810
  • Mary Holleran Farrell, who arrived in Nova Scotia in 1817
  • William Farrell, who arrived in Nova Scotia in 1823
  • Jane Farrell, who landed in Nova Scotia in 1827
  • ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Australia Farrell migration to Australia +

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

Farrell Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century
  • Mr. Laurence Farrell, Irish convict who was convicted in Dublin, Ireland for 7 years, transported aboard the "Atlas" on 29th November 1801, arriving in New South Wales, Australia 11
  • Miss Sarah Farrell, British Convict who was convicted in Middlesex, England for 7 years, transported aboard the "Experiment" on 4th December 1803, arriving in New South Wales, Australia 12
  • Miss Anne Farrell, (b. 1788), aged 21, Irish convict who was convicted in County Meath, Ireland for 7 years, transported aboard the "Experiment" on 21st January 1809, arriving in New South Wales, Australia 13
  • Miss Margaret Farrell, Irish convict who was convicted in Dublin, Ireland for 7 years, transported aboard the "Experiment" on 21st January 1809, arriving in New South Wales, Australia 13
  • Mr. Thomas Farrell, Irish miner who was convicted in County Roscommon, Ireland for 7 years, transported aboard the "Canada" on 5th December 1814, arriving in New South Wales, Australia 14
  • ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

New Zealand Farrell 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:

Farrell Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century
  • Mr. Farrell, Australian settler travelling from Port Phillip Bay, Victoria aboard the ship "Earl Stanhope" arriving in Wellington, New Zealand in 1840 15
  • Mr. John Farrell, British settler referred to as the Parkhurst Boys travelling from London aboard the ship "Mandarin" arriving in Auckland, New Zealand on 14th November 1843, he had been taught trades and pardoned to live in New Zealand 15
  • Samuel Farrell, who landed in Wellington, New Zealand in 1843
  • Mr. Byran Farrell, British settler, as the 2nd Detachment of New Zealand Corps of Royal New Zealand Fencibles travelling from Gravesend aboard the ship "Minerva" arriving in Auckland, New Zealand on 8th October 1847 15
  • Miss Mary Farrell, (b. 1837), aged 23, British domestic servant travelling from Bristol aboard the ship "Matoaka" arriving in Lyttelton, Christchurch, South Island, New Zealand on 2nd December 1860 15
  • ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Contemporary Notables of the name Farrell (post 1700) +

  • Colin James Farrell (b. 1976), Irish two-time Golden Globe award, Academy Award nominated actor from Castleknock, Dublin, Ireland, known for The Lobster (2015), S.W.A.T. (2003), The Batman (2022) and many more
  • Michael Joseph "Mike" Farrell (b. 1939), American actor, best known for his role as Captain B.J. Hunnicutt on the popular television series M*A*S*H (1975-83) 16
  • Judy Farrell (1938-2023), née Hayden, an American actress, best know for her role as Nurse Able on the television comedy series M*A*S*H, wife of actor Mike Farrell
  • Ben Farrell (1946-2022), American concert promoter who was best known for promoting Garth Brooks
  • Peggy Farrell (1932-2021), American two-time Primetime Emmy Award winning costume designer, known for her work on Dog Day Afternoon, Gloria, Next Stop, Greenwich Village, Desperate Characters, They All Laughed, The Stepford Wives, The Hot Rock and The Front
  • Herman D. Farrell III (1932-2018), American Democratic Party politician, Member of the New York State Assembly (1975-2017) 17
  • Sadie Farrell (b. 1869), American criminal, gang leader and river pirate known under the pseudonym Sadie the Goat
  • Robert E. "Bob" Farrell (1927-2015), American motivational speaker, author, and founder of Farrell's Ice Cream Parlour and Restaurant in 1963 which by 1975 had 120 locations
  • Major-General Thomas Francis Farrell (1891-1967), American Deputy Supervisor Manhattan Project (1945-1946) 18
  • Lieutenant-General Francis William Farrell (1900-1981), American Commanding General 7th Army (1959-1960) 19
  • ... (Another 86 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Frank Rock Slide
  • Mr. Charles Farrell, Canadian miner working in the town of Frank, Alberta who survived the Frank Rock Slide on 29th April 1903 20
Halifax Explosion
  • Mr. Jonas  Farrell (1853-1917), Canadian resident from Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada who survived the Halifax Explosion (1917) but later died due to injuries 21
  • Mrs. Johanna  Farrell (1865-1917), Canadian resident from Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada who died in the Halifax Explosion (1917) 21
HMS Repulse
  • Mr. Henry William Farrell, British Marine, who sailed into battle on the HMS Repulse (1941) and survived the sinking 22
HMS Royal Oak
  • Robert Farrell (1919-1939), British Seaman with the Royal Navy Volunteer Reserve aboard the HMS Royal Oak (1939) when she was torpedoed by U-47 and sunk; he died in the sinking 23
RMS Lusitania
  • Mr. John Farrell, English Fireman from England, who worked aboard the RMS Lusitania (1915) and survived the sinking 24
RMS Titanic
  • Mr. James "Jim" Farrell (d. 1912), aged 25, Irish Third Class passenger from Killoe, Longford who sailed aboard the RMS Titanic and died in the sinking and was recovered by CS Mackay-Bennett 25


  1. "What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
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  3. The order of Common Surnames in 1955 in Newfoundland retrieved on 20th October 2021 (retrieved from Family Names of the Island of Newfoundland by E.R. Seary corrected edition ISBN 0-7735-1782-0)
  4. "Most Common Last Names in Australia." Forebears, https://forebears.io/australia/surnames
  5. "Most Common Last Names in New Zealand." Forebears, https://forebears.io/new-zealand/surnames
  6. "UK surname ranking." UK Surname map, https://www.surnamemap.eu/unitedkingdom/surnames_ranking.php?p=10
  7. 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)
  8. Pilgrim Ship's of 1600's. Retrieved October 5th 2021 from https://www.packrat-pro.com/ships/shiplist.htm
  9. Cornwall Online Parish Clerks. (Retrieved 3rd May 2018). Retrieved from http://www.opc-cornwall.org/Resc/pdfs/emigration_ellis_island_1892_on.pdf
  10. Rubincam, Milton. The Old United Empire Loyalists List. Genealogical Publishing Co., Inc, 1976. (Originally published as; United Empire Loyalists. The Centennial of the Settlement of Upper Canada. Rose Publishing Company, 1885.) ISBN 0-8063-0331-X
  11. Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 14th July 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/atlas
  12. Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 22nd March 2021). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/coromandel-and-experiment
  13. Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 2nd June 2022). https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/experiment
  14. Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 9th December 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/canada
  15. New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 17th October 2018). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html
  16. Michael Farrell. (Retrieved 2010, September 27) Michael Farrell. Retrieved from http://www.mikefarrell.org/
  17. The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, October 29) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html
  18. Generals of World War II. (Retrieved 2012, February 29) Thomas Farrell. Retrieved from http://generals.dk/general/Farrell/Thomas_Francis/USA.html
  19. Generals of World War II. (Retrieved 2012, February 29) Francis Farrell. Retrieved from http://generals.dk/general/Farrell/Francis_William/USA.html
  20. Calgary Herald news article retrieved 11th August 2021. Retrieved from https://smartcdn.prod.postmedia.digital/calgaryherald/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/Calgary_Herald_Thu__Apr_30__1903_-copy-scaled.jpg
  21. Halifax Explosion Book of Remembrance | Maritime Museum of the Atlantic. (Retrieved 2014, June 23) . Retrieved from https://maritimemuseum.novascotia.ca/what-see-do/halifax-explosion/halifax-explosion-book-remembrance
  22. HMS Repulse Crew members. (Retrieved 2014, April 9) . Retrieved from http://www.forcez-survivors.org.uk/biographies/listrepulsecrew.html
  23. Ships hit by U-boats crew list HMS Royal Oak (08) - (Retrieved 2018 February, 9th) - retrieved from https://uboat.net/allies/merchants/crews/ship68.html
  24. Lusitania Passenger List - The Lusitania Resource. (Retrieved 2014, March 10) . Retrieved from http://www.rmslusitania.info/lusitania-passenger-list/
  25. Titanic Passenger List - Titanic Facts. (Retrieved 2016, July 13) . Retrieved from http://www.titanicfacts.net/titanic-passenger-list.html


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