Fearne History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
Scotland

Etymology of Fearne

What does the name Fearne mean?

The ancient English surname Fearne was an occupational name for an "ironmonger, smith," derived from the Old French words "ferron," and "feron." 1 2

Another source notes the name was "anciently Le Feron. Le Feyron. A name still well known in Normandy: derived by M. de Gerville from the same source as Ferrier-viz., from fer, ferrum-a worker in iron." 3

And another notes "N. Feron [was] of Normandy 1180, Geoffry, John, Odo, Richard, Robert, Roger, Sulpice, and William Feron [were listed in] 1198." 4

Today Féron is a small commune in the Nord department in northern France.

Early Origins of the Fearne family

The surname Fearne was first found in London, England, where Walter le ferrun was listed c. 1179. A few years later, Hervey le Feron was listed as holding lands on the Isle of Man. 1

The Hundredorum Rolls of 1273 includes entries for Alan de Feron; Stephen le Feron; and Henry le Feron, all in London. 2 To the north in Scotland, Fearn is a location name in Forfar. 5

Early History of the Fearne family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Fearne research. The years 1742, 1794, 1859, 1869, 1894, 1898, 1933 and 1937 are included under the topic Early Fearne History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Fearne Spelling Variations

People who were accounted for by scribes and church officials often had their name recorded many different ways because pronunciation was the only guide those scribes and church officials had to go by. This resulted in the problem of one person's name being recorded under several different variations, creating the illusion of more than one person. Among the many spelling variations of the surname Fearne that are preserved in archival documents are Fearon, Feron, Feran, Farren and others.

Early Notables of the Fearne family

Charles Fearne (1742-1794) was an English jurist, born in London. He was the son of Charles Fearne, judge-advocate of the Admiralty

Fearne migration to the United States +

Ireland became inhospitable for many native Irish families in the 19th centuries. Poverty, lack of opportunities, high rents, and discrimination forced thousands to leave the island for North America. The largest exodus of Irish settlers occurred with the Great Potato Famine of the late 1840s. For these immigrants the journey to British North America and the United States was long and dangerous and many did not live to see the shores of those new lands. Those who did make it were essential to the development of what would become two of the wealthiest and most powerful nations of the world. These Irish immigrants were not only important for peopling the new settlements and cities, they also provided the manpower needed for the many industrial and agricultural projects so essential to these growing nations. Immigration and passenger lists have documented the arrival of various people bearing the name Fearne to North America:

Fearne Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

Henry Fearne, who landed in Virginia in 1622 6
Paul Fearne, aged 24, who landed in Virginia in 1635 aboard the ship "Elizabeth" 6
Jane Fearne, who arrived in Virginia in 1665 6
Jones Fearne, who landed in Virginia in 1665 6
Jos Fearne, who arrived in Pennsylvania in 1682 6

Fearne Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Joseph D Fearne, who landed in Allegany (Allegheny) County, Pennsylvania in 1844 6

Fearne migration to Australia +

Fearne Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

Mr. Thomas Fearne, English convict who was convicted in Nottingham, Nottinghamshire, England for 14 years, transported aboard the "Exmouth" on 3rd March 1831, arriving in New South Wales, Australia 7
Mr. George Fearne, English convict who was convicted in Pontefract, West Yorkshire, England for 7 years, transported aboard the "Barossa" on 9th May 1844, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land) 8

Contemporary Notables of the name Fearne (post 1700) +

Charles Fearne (1742-1794), English legal writer, born in London in 1742, the eldest son of Charles Fearne, deputy secretary of the admiralty and judge advocate, who presided at the trial of Admiral Byng 9
Elizabeth Fearne Bonsall (1861-1956), American painter and illustrator

Sources +

Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)
Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)
Lower, Mark Anthony, Patronymica Britannica, A Dictionary of Family Names of the United Kingdom. London: John Russel Smith, 1860. Print.
The Norman People and Their Existing Descendants in the British Dominions and the United States Of America. Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing, 1975. Print. (ISBN 0-8063-0636-X)
Barber, Henry, British Family Names London: Elliot Stock, 62 Paternoster Row, 1894. 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)
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 25th May 2022). https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/exmouth
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 24th September 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/barossa
Wikisource contributors. "Dictionary of National Biography, 1885-1900." Wikisource . Wikisource , 4 Jun. 2018. Web. 30 June 2020