Show ContentsFearon History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Fearon Family Crest Download (JPG) Heritage Series - 600 DPI

Family Crest Download (JPG) Heritage Series - 600 DPI

Etymology of Fearon

What does the name Fearon mean?

The ancient English surname Fearon 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 Fearon family

The surname Fearon 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 Fearon family

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

Fearon 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 Fearon that are preserved in archival documents are Fearon, Feron, Feran, Farren and others.

Early Notables of the Fearon family

  • Edward L Fearon (1859-1933), a Scottish-born, Canadian politician who served on the North-West Legislative Assembly for Medicine Hat from 1894 to 1898. John Turner Fearon (1869-1937), was the first ed...

Fearon Ranking

the United States, the name Fearon is the 17,776th most popular surname with an estimated 2,487 people with that name. 6

Fearon 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 Fearon to North America:

Fearon Settlers in United States in the 18th Century
  • Daniel Fearon, who arrived in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1745 7
  • Robert Fearon, who arrived in America in 1796 7
Fearon Settlers in United States in the 19th Century
  • James Fearon, who arrived in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1806
  • George Fearon, aged 31, who landed in New York in 1812 7
  • George and Robert Fearon, who arrived in Philadelphia in 1813
  • Joseph Fearon, aged 36, who landed in Missouri in 1845 7
  • George and Henry Fearon, who arrived in Philadelphia during the Potato Famine in 1842 and 1848
  • ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Fearon migration to Canada +

Fearon Settlers in Canada in the 19th Century
  • Thomas Fearon, aged 31, a labourer, who arrived in Saint John, New Brunswick aboard the ship "Cupid" in 1834
  • Catherine Fearon, aged 30, who arrived in Saint John, New Brunswick aboard the ship "Cupid" in 1834
  • Mary Fearon, aged 5, who arrived in Saint John, New Brunswick aboard the ship "Cupid" in 1834
  • Mrs. Ann Fearon, aged 33 who immigrated to Canada, arriving at the Grosse Isle Quarantine Station in Quebec aboard the ship "Champion" departing from the port of Liverpool, England but died on Grosse Isle in September 8
  • Mr. Patrick Fearon, aged 3 who immigrated to Canada, arriving at the Grosse Isle Quarantine Station in Quebec aboard the ship "Erin's Queen" departing from the port of Liverpool, England but died on Grosse Isle in September 8

Fearon migration to Australia +

Fearon Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century
  • Mr. John Fearon, Scottish convict who was convicted in Perth, Scotland for 7 years, transported aboard the "Elphinstone" on 20th January 1836, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land) 9
  • Mary Fearon, aged 23, a servant, who arrived in South Australia in 1854 aboard the ship "Lord Raglan" 10

Fearon 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:

Fearon Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century
  • Capt. Edward Fearon, (b. 1813), aged 29, British settler born in Hackney travelling from London and Plymouth aboard the ship "Thomas Sparks" arriving in Wellington, New Zealand on 31st January 1843, the ship stuck rocks of the coast of Cape of Good Hope delaying her landing by 2 months 11
  • Mrs. Elizabeth Fearon née Ward, (b. 1811), aged 31, British settler born in Devon travelling from London and Plymouth aboard the ship "Thomas Sparks" arriving in Wellington, New Zealand on 31st January 1843, the ship stuck rocks of the coast of Cape of Good Hope delaying her landing by 2 months 11
  • Miss Elizabeth Fearon, (b. 1842), aged Infant, British settler born aboard the ship "Thomas Sparks" arriving in Wellington, New Zealand on 31st January 1843, the ship stuck rocks of the coast of Cape of Good Hope delaying her landing by 2 months 11
  • Mr. Henry Fearon, (b. 1839), aged 35, Irish farm servant, from Armagh travelling from Glasgow aboard the ship "Oamaru" arriving in Port Chalmers, Dunedin, Otago, South Island, New Zealand on 17th February 1875 11
  • Henry Fearon, aged 34, a farm labourer, who arrived in Wellington, New Zealand aboard the ship "Wairoa" in 1877

Contemporary Notables of the name Fearon (post 1700) +

  • James Fearon, American political scientist
  • Hugh P. Fearon, American Democratic Party politician, Candidate for New York State Assembly from Kings County 5th District, 1920 12
  • George Randolph Fearon (1883-1976), American Republican politician, Member of New York State Assembly from Onondaga County 3rd District, 1916-20; Member of New York State Senate 38th District, 1921-36 13
  • Martin Fearon (b. 1988), English footballer
  • Gervan Fearon, Canadian recipient of the Order of Ontario for 2023
  • John Turner Fearon (1869-1937), British journalist, first editor of the Sunday Mercury
  • George R. Fearon (1883-1976), American politician, President pro tem of the New York State Senate 1931-1932
  • Blair Fearon, Canadian Otorhinolaryngologist, Sick Children's Hospital, Toronto, Canada
  • Ray Fearon (b. 1967), British stage actor
RMS Lusitania
  1. Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)
  2. Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)
  3. Lower, Mark Anthony, Patronymica Britannica, A Dictionary of Family Names of the United Kingdom. London: John Russel Smith, 1860. Print.
  4. 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)
  5. Barber, Henry, British Family Names London: Elliot Stock, 62 Paternoster Row, 1894. Print.
  6. "What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
  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. Charbonneau, André, and Doris Drolet-Dubé. A Register of Deceased Persons at Sea and on Grosse Île in 1847. The Minister of Canadian Heritage, 1997. ISBN: 0-660-198/1-1997E (p. 27)
  9. Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 16th March 2022). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/elphinstone
  10. South Australian Register Wednesday 25th October 1854. (Retrieved 2010, November 5) Lord Raglan 1854. Retrieved http://www.theshipslist.com/ships/australia/lordraglan1854.shtml
  11. New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 26th March 2019). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html
  12. The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2016, January 20) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html
  13. Lusitania Passenger List - The Lusitania Resource. (Retrieved 2014, March 10) . Retrieved from http://www.rmslusitania.info/lusitania-passenger-list/

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