Show ContentsFerme History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Early Origins of the Ferme family

The surname Ferme was first found in Midlothian, where they held a family seat on the English/Scottish border. The name was first recorded in Scotland in Fairholm now called Farme. The old lands of Farme are now included in the town of Rutherglen.

Ancient records of the family are scarce, so we must look to 17th century records that include: Jemet Fairum who was married in Edinburgh in 1604, Marion Fairholm who appears in Overtoun of Quodquen, 1621, and three more of the name are in record in Lanark.

So as to underscore the many spellings of the name, we draw the readers attention to Charles Ferm, Ferme, Farholme, or Fairholm (1566-1617), Principal of Fraserburgh University, who "was born in Edinburgh of obscure parentage. His name is spelled in divers ways; he signs himself 'Carolus Pharum' (after 1588), and 'Chairlis Ferm' (21 Feb. 1605). Calderwood spells the name 'Farholme.' Adamson latinises it 'Fermæus.' In 1596 and again in 1597 'Mr. Charles Fairme' was called to the proposed second charge at Haddington, but he preferred his college work. On 12 Sept. 1598 'Mr. Charles Ferume' preached in the High Kirk of Edinburgh, later in the same year he was reported as 'gane to the north parts.' He accepted the charge of Philorth, Aberdeenshire, incorporated in 1613 under the name of Fraserburgh, the intention of the patron, Sir Alexander Fraser (d. 1623), being that Ferm should be the head of a university which he was proposing to establish." 1

John Fairholm, (died 1646) was merchant burgess of Edinburgh and a few years later, John Ferholme was merchant burgess there in 1655. We must presume that the latter was presumably son of the former. George Fairholme was a tanner at the West Port of Edinburgh in 1653. Fairholm of Craigiehall was an old family in West Lothian. 2

Early History of the Ferme family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Ferme research. Another 79 words (6 lines of text) covering the year 1587 is included under the topic Early Ferme History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Ferme Spelling Variations

Spelling variations of this family name include: Fairholm, Farme, Fairhome, Fairholm, Ferme, Pharne, Pharme, Pherme, Ferholm and many more.

Early Notables of the Ferme family

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


Ferme migration to the United States +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Ferme Settlers in United States in the 19th Century
  • John Ferme, who landed in New York in 1842 3
  • Bernard Ferme, who settled in Baltimore in 1844

Ferme 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:

Ferme Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century
  • John Ferme, aged 26, who arrived in Nelson, New Zealand aboard the ship "Bombay" in 1842 4
  • Margaret Ferme, aged 22, who arrived in Nelson, New Zealand aboard the ship "Bombay" in 1842 4

Ferme migration to West Indies +

The British first settled the British West Indies around 1604. They made many attempts but failed in some to establish settlements on the Islands including Saint Lucia and Grenada. By 1627 they had managed to establish settlements on St. Kitts (St. Christopher) and Barbados, but by 1641 the Spanish had moved in and destroyed some of these including those at Providence Island. The British continued to expand the settlements including setting the First Federation in the British West Indies by 1674; some of the islands include Barbados, Bermuda, Cayman Island, Turks and Caicos, Jamaica and Belize then known as British Honduras. By the 1960's many of the islands became independent after the West Indies Federation which existed from 1958 to 1962 failed due to internal political conflicts. After this a number of Eastern Caribbean islands formed a free association. 5
Ferme Settlers in West Indies in the 17th Century
  • Alice Ferme, who settled in Barbados in 1660


The Ferme Motto +

The motto was originally a war cry or slogan. Mottoes first began to be shown with arms in the 14th and 15th centuries, but were not in general use until the 17th century. Thus the oldest coats of arms generally do not include a motto. Mottoes seldom form part of the grant of arms: Under most heraldic authorities, a motto is an optional component of the coat of arms, and can be added to or changed at will; many families have chosen not to display a motto.

Motto: Fide et firme
Motto Translation: Faithfully and firmly.


  1. Smith, George (ed), Dictionary of National Biography. London: Smith, Elder & Co., 1885-1900. Print
  2. Black, George F., The Surnames of Scotland Their Origin, Meaning and History. New York: New York Public Library, 1946. Print. (ISBN 0-87104-172-3)
  3. 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)
  4. New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 7th November 2010). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html
  5. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_West_Indies


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