Farr Name Study

Profile managers: One Name Studies WikiTree [send private message] and John Farr [send private message]

About the Project

The Farr Name Study project is a collaborative platform to collect information on the Farr name. The hope is that other researchers like you will join the study to help make it a valuable reference point for other genealogists who are researching or have an interest in the Farr name.

As a One Name Study, this project is not limited to persons who are related biologically. Individual team studies can be used to branch out the research into specific methods and areas of interest, such as geographically (England Farrs), by time period (18th Century Farrs), or by topic (Farr DNA, Farr Occupations, Farr Statistics). These studies may also include a number of family branches which have no immediate link with each other. Some researchers may even be motivated to go beyond the profile identification and research stage to compile fully sourced, single-family histories of some of the families they discover through this name study project.

The surname Farr is derived from the Latin word for iron, and was doubtless used as a place name before it became a surname. As a family name it was first known in England from Gualkeline (or Walkeline) de Ferraris, a Norman of distinction attached to William, Duke of Normandy, before the invasion of England in 1066. From him all of the names in England and America appear to be descended. Henry de Ferrars, his son, is on the Roll of Battle Abbey among the principal companions and commanders of the Conqueror and was the first of the family in England. When the general survey of the realm, recorded in the Domesday Book was made in the fourteenth year of the Conqueror's reign, Henry was one of the commissioners appointed to compile the work. He bore for his coat-of-arms: Argent six horse shoes pierced sable. (Cutter, William, Genealogical and Family History of Northern New York, Lewis Historical Publishing Company, Vol. 1, 1910.)

This most unusual surname is of Anglo-Saxon origin, and originated either as a nickname for a powerfully built or strong man, or a lusty man, or as a metonymic occupational name for an oxherd, from the Olde English pre 7th Century "fearr", Middle English. The Farr surname itself was first recorded in the mid 12th Century, with one Simon Farr being mentioned in 1381, in "Archaeological Records of Kent". Edward Farr was one of the earliest settlers in St. Christopher's parish in the Barbadoes, having embarked from London on the "Amitie" in October 1635. William Farr (1807 - 1883) was a notable statistician and commissioner of the 1871 Census. A Coat of Arms was granted to a Farr family in Beccles, Norfolk, which depicts a gold saltire, surmounted of another of the first between four red fleurs-de-lis, on a red shield. The first recorded spelling of the Farr family name is shown to be that of Nicholas le Ferre, which was dated circa 1154, in "The History of St. Bartholomew's Hospital" (London), during the reign of King Henry II, known as "The Builder of Churches", 1154 - 1189). Read more: https://www.surnamedb.com/Surname/Farr#ixzz7lKl31J9z

How to Join

To join the Farr Name Study, first start out by browsing our current research pages to see if there is a specific study ongoing that fits your interests. If so, feel free to add your name to the Membership list below, post an introduction comment on the specific team page, and then dive right in!

If a research page does not yet exist for your particular area of interest, please contact the Name Study Coordinator: John Farr for assistance.

... ... ... is a member of the Farr Name Study Project.

Once you are ready to go, you can also show your project affiliation with the ONS Member Sticker:

Research Pages

Here are some of the current research pages included in the study. I'll be working on them, and could use your help!

Research Help

List Farr profiles that you have questions about.

• Nathan Farr (Farr-2940) married Susan Fox in 1806 in Towanda, Pennsylvania. I am looking for his birth and death dates, place of birth and his parents names. John Farr

Membership

• Example: Name - I am interested in the Farrs of Europe during the 18th Century. I am hoping that this research will help me break down one of my brick walls!

Related Surnames and Surname Variants

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