Farnum
Of Old English origin, meaning "distant traveler".
Name Census estimates that about 0 living Americans carry the first name Farnum. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Farnum today is around 0 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Farnum births was 1924 (6 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Farnum. Below you will find a gender breakdown showing how the name splits between male and female registrations, a year-by-year popularity chart stretching back to 1880, decade-level totals, the top US states for this name, its meaning and etymology, and a set of frequently asked questions with data-backed answers.
Key insights
- • Fewer than 100 living Americans are believed to carry the name Farnum. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
0
~ - Americans
Peak year
1924
6 babies that year
Average age
-
1924 SSA rank
#4,040
Tracked since 1924
Popularity
Farnum: popularity over time
Babies born per year
Decades
Farnum by decade
The table below breaks the full SSA timeline into ten-year windows. Each row shows how many male and female babies were given the name Farnum during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
| Decade | Male | Female | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1920s | 6 | 0 | 6 |
Origin
Meaning and history of Farnum
The name Farnum is believed to have originated in England during the Middle Ages. It is thought to be a variant spelling of the Old English name Fearnham, which was derived from the words "fearn" meaning fern and "ham" meaning homestead or village. This suggests that the name may have been initially given to someone who resided in a village or settlement near a fern-covered area.
One of the earliest recorded uses of the name Farnum can be found in the Domesday Book, a comprehensive survey of land ownership in England commissioned by William the Conqueror in 1086. The entry lists a landowner named Farnum in the county of Hampshire.
In the 13th century, a cleric named Farnum de Wyntonia (Farnum of Winchester) was mentioned in official church records. He served as a canon at Winchester Cathedral in the early 1200s.
During the Renaissance period, a notable figure named Farnum Aldridge (1515-1592) gained recognition as a skilled architect and stonemason. He is credited with designing several notable buildings in London, including the Old Bailey criminal court.
In the 17th century, a wealthy merchant named Farnum Byfield (1628-1688) made a significant impact on the city of Bristol through his philanthropic efforts. He funded the construction of a hospital and a school for underprivileged children.
Another historical figure with the name Farnum was Sir Farnum Wentworth (1672-1737), a British military officer who served in the War of the Spanish Succession. He rose to the rank of Lieutenant General and was knighted for his distinguished service.
These are just a few examples of notable individuals throughout history who bore the name Farnum. While not an extremely common name, it has persisted over centuries, with its origins rooted in the English countryside and its variants reflecting the linguistic evolution of the language.
People
Farnum + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Farnum as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with F
Other first names starting with F with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Farnum: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Farnum?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 0 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Farnum going back to 1880 and adjusting each cohort for expected survival using CDC actuarial life tables. The result is an age-weighted living-bearer count, not a raw birth total. That works out to about - US residents.
Is Farnum a common name?
We classify Farnum as "Very Rare". It ranks above 2.9% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 6 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Farnum most popular?
The single biggest year for Farnum was 1924, when 6 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Farnum is about 0 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
What does the SSA popularity chart show?
The chart tracks births, not the number of people alive with the name today. Each point shows how many babies were given the name Farnum in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Farnum a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Farnum in the SSA data are male. You can see the full per-sex comparison in the gender distribution section above, which includes the latest year rank, birth count, and peak year for each sex.
Is Farnum still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Farnum in 2024, and the page above shows its latest-year rank where available. A name can be well past its peak and still remain in steady use, especially if it built up a large population over earlier decades.
Why can a name have a lot of living bearers even if it is not trendy now?
Because living-bearer counts and current baby-name popularity measure different things. A name like Farnum can build up a very large population over many decades, even if fewer parents are choosing it now than they did at its peak.
Where does this data come from?
First-name figures come from the Social Security Administration's national baby name files, which cover every name on a birth certificate from 1880 to 2024. Living-bearer estimates layer in CDC actuarial life tables broken out by sex to account for mortality. The population baseline (342,754,338) is the Census Bureau's latest national estimate. You can read the full calculation on our methodology page.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only covers names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files do not have a published Census demographic snapshot. In those cases, the page still shows the SSA trend, gender history, and state data.
How many people have Farnum as a first name?
If you just want to know how many people have the name Farnum, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.