Farthin History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England

The ancestors of the Farthin surname lived among the Anglo-Saxon tribes of Britain. As a surname, Farthin may have derived from a few sources. There was an Old Norse personal name "Faerthegn," which meant "a traveling warrior" or "Thane (Lord)," a mercenary who led a band of warriors and settled local disputes. 1

The "Farthing" denomination of English coinage dates back to the Old English "feorthing," which was a quarter of a penny. In this instance, Farthin may have been a nickname for someone who paid this amount in rent.

Early Origins of the Farthin family

The surname Farthin was first found in Devon where this ancient Anglo Saxon name was derived from the name Faerthegn and, immediately before the Norman Conquest as Farthein. The name was recorded in the Domesday Book in 1086 as Fardan or Fardein. 2 3

An extensive search of early rolls revealed Geoffrey Ferthing, recorded in the Hundredorum Rolls of 1273; William Ferthing, listed in the Writs of Parliament for 1300; Richard Ferthing in the Close Rolls, 18 Edward I (during the eighteenth year of King Edward I's reign); and Robertus Farthing listed in the Yorkshire Poll Tax Rolls of 1379. 4

The name could have originated in Faringdon, Berkshire where Thomas Fartheyn (1311), Thomas Fardeyn (1330) and Thomas Farendyn (1323) were all listed in the Writs of Parliament. The three entries above refer to one individual. 4

Early History of the Farthin family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Farthin research. Another 46 words (3 lines of text) covering the years 1700, 1723, 1736, 1743, 1782, 1786, 1787, 1801, 1830, 1838 and 1865 are included under the topic Early Farthin History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Farthin 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 Farthin family name include Farthing, Fayting, Farthen, Farden, Fardon, Varthing, Vaytin, Fairthing, Fardin, Farthin and many more.

Early Notables of the Farthin family

Distinguished members of the family include John Fardon I (1700-1743), an English clockmaker was apprenticed to Thomas Gilkes of Sibford Gower and traded in Deddington from about 1723. His only son John Fardon II (1736-1786) was only 10 years old when his father died and seems to have been apprenticed in London. He and his...
Another 54 words (4 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Farthin Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Farthin 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. Investigation of the origins of family names on the North American continent has revealed that early immigrants bearing the name Farthin or a variant listed above:

Farthin Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

Robert Farthin, who arrived in Virginia in 1636 5

Citations +

Harrison, Henry, Surnames of the United Kingdom: A Concise Etymological Dictionary Baltimore: Geneological Publishing Company, 2013. Print
Williams, Dr Ann. And G.H. Martin, Eds., Domesday Book A Complete Translation. London: Penguin, 1992. Print. (ISBN 0-141-00523-8)
Lower, Mark Anthony, Patronymica Britannica, A Dictionary of Family Names of the United Kingdom. London: John Russel Smith, 1860. Print.
Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)
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)