The ancestry of the name Farrinham dates from the ancient
Anglo-Saxon culture of Britain. It comes from when the family lived at Farnham, in several different counties including
Buckinghamshire,
Dorset,
Essex,
Suffolk, and the West Riding of
Yorkshire. They were derived from pre-existing names for towns, villages, parishes, or farmsteads. In this case the surname Farrinham was originally derived from the Old English words
fearn +
hamm which means a
fern-covered homestead or property.
Early Origins of the Farrinham family
The surname Farrinham was first found in one of the many villages names Farnham throughout
England in the following counties or shires:
Dorset,
Essex, North
Yorkshire,
Suffolk, and
Surrey. Farnham Common and Farnham Royal are located in
Buckinghamshire.
[1]CITATION[CLOSE]
Williams, Dr Ann. And G.H. Martin, Eds., Domesday Book A Complete Translation. London: Penguin, 1992. Print. (ISBN 0-141-00523-8) The name has numerous listings in the Domesday Book with various spellings that were in use at the time: Fernham, Dorset; Phernham Essex; Fareham North Yorkshire; Farnham, Suffolk; and Fernham Surrey. Farnham Royal was listed as Fernham Riall. [2]CITATION[CLOSE]
Mills, A.D., Dictionary of English Place-Names. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-19-869156-4)
While one would suppose the surname originated from one or more of the aforementioned locals, another reference suggests we must look to Leicestershire, specifically Quorndon to find the surname's true origin as in "this ancient family was certainly seated at Quorndon two descents before the reign of Edward I." [3]CITATION[CLOSE]
Shirley, Evelyn Philip, The Noble and Gentle Men of England; The Arms and Descents. Westminster: John Bower Nichols and Sons, 1866, Print.
Early History of the Farrinham family
This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Farrinham research.
Another 100 words (7 lines of text) covering the years 1290, 1312, 1483, 1753 and are included under the topic Early Farrinham History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
Farrinham Spelling Variations
Spelling variations in names were a common occurrence before English spelling was standardized a few
hundred years ago. In the Middle Ages, even the literate spelled their names differently as the English language incorporated elements of French, Latin, and other European languages. Many variations of the name Farrinham have been found, including Farnham, Farnhams, Farnhan, Fearnham, Farneham and others.
Early Notables of the Farrinham family (pre 1700)
More information is included under the topic Early Farrinham Notables in all our
PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
Migration of the Farrinham family to Ireland
Some of the Farrinham family moved to
Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 50 words (4 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
Migration of the Farrinham family to the New World and Oceana
Families began migrating abroad in enormous numbers because of the political and religious discontent in
England. Often faced with persecution and starvation in
England, the possibilities of the New World attracted many English people. Although the ocean trips took many lives, those who did get to North America were instrumental in building the necessary groundwork for what would become for new powerful nations. Some of the first immigrants to cross the Atlantic and come to North America bore the name Farrinham, or a variant listed above: Thomas and Ralph Farnham who had came to Roxbury, Massachusetts in 1634; as did Henry Farnham of
Warwickshire, who settled there in 1644. Alice, Mary, and Ralph Farnham settled in Boston Massachusetts in 1635.