Meaning and origin
The last name Farr originates from England and Scotland, deriving from an Old English pre 7th-century personal name "Fearn", meaning "fern", or from the Old Norse personal names "Fari" or "Fara", denoting a traveler or a journey. Alternatively, the name could also have originated from the Gaelic surname "O'Fearghaill", meaning "man of valor". Over time, variations of the name Farr have emerged, including Farrar, Ferrar, Farrer, and others, reflecting different regional dialects and spelling variations.
Surname origins are rarely settled: one spelling can have several sources, and families often took a name for reasons nobody wrote down. Check it against the sources below before you rely on it.
#1,794
Farr was the 1,794th most common surname in the 2010 US Census, with 20,011 people, about 6.5 in every 100,000.
Who carries it
Where it is found
Countries linked to Farr.
Surnames like Farr
Names it is linked with, then names with the same origin and a similar standing.
Check the sources
- Forebears: where Farr is found around the world
- The Internet Surname Database: a second opinion on the origin
- US Census Bureau: the 2010 surname figures used here
For a name you are serious about, compare the dictionaries: Reaney and Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames; Hanks, Dictionary of American Family Names.