Farrar
From Old Norse meaning "traveler" or "adventurer".
Name Census estimates that about 9 living Americans carry the first name Farrar. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Farrar today is around 50 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Farrar births was 1976 (5 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Farrar. 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 Farrar. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
9
~ 1 in 38,083,815 Americans
Peak year
1976
5 babies that year
Average age
50
years old
1977 SSA rank
#10,100
Tracked since 1976
Census
Farrar in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 102 people with the first name Farrar, which placed it at #53,122 in the published first-name tables. This is a snapshot of people who already had the name at the time of the Census.
The SSA sections elsewhere on this page answer a different question: how often parents gave the name to babies over time. The "people living today" figure on this page is different again: it is a current estimate built from SSA birth records and age-based survival rates, so the two numbers are not expected to match exactly.
2020 Census rank
#53,122
National first-name rank
People counted
102
102 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
0.0
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
White
83.3% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Farrar
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Farrar is White at 83.3%. The next largest groups are Black (10.8%) and Hispanic (3.9%). These figures describe the people who had the name in 2020, not any inherent property of the name itself.
The bar chart below shows how people with the first name Farrar described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given name, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown so the breakdown is easy to read across every published category. Because the 2020 Census first-name file also includes raw headcounts for each group, Name Census can show those alongside the percentages in the legend and hover tooltip.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A first name does not determine a person's race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the name Farrar at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White83.3% · 85
- Black or African American10.8% · 11
- Hispanic or Latino3.9% · 4
- Two or more races2.0% · 2
Popularity
Farrar: popularity over time
Babies born per year
Decades
Farrar 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 Farrar during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
| Decade | Male | Female | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 0 | 10 | 10 |
Origin
Meaning and history of Farrar
The name Farrar is an English variant of the French given name Ferrer or Ferrier, derived from the Latin word "ferrarius," meaning "blacksmith" or "ironworker." The name traces its origins back to the Middle Ages, when it was common for individuals to adopt occupational surnames or given names based on their trade or profession.
In the early medieval period, blacksmithing and metalworking were highly skilled and respected crafts, and those who practiced them often held influential positions within their communities. As a result, the name Farrar became associated with expertise, diligence, and craftsmanship.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Farrar can be found in the Domesday Book, a comprehensive survey of England commissioned by William the Conqueror in 1086. The Domesday Book mentions several individuals with the surname Ferrer or Ferrarius, indicating the name's usage at the time.
Throughout the Middle Ages and Renaissance, the name Farrar appeared in various historical records and documents across Europe. Notably, in the 14th century, a French nobleman named Ferrer Arnaud de Roussillon became a prominent figure in the kingdom of Aragon, serving as a trusted advisor to King Pedro IV.
Another notable bearer of the name Farrar was Samuel Farrar, an English clergyman and scholar who lived from 1641 to 1719. Farrar served as the headmaster of St. Paul's School in London and was renowned for his contributions to education and classical literature.
In the 19th century, Frederic William Farrar (1831-1903) gained prominence as an English clergyman, author, and educator. He served as the Dean of Canterbury and wrote several influential works, including his best-known book, "The Life of Christ."
Another notable figure with the name Farrar was Geraldine Farrar (1882-1967), an American operatic soprano who achieved international acclaim for her performances in operas by composers such as Puccini and Massenet. She was also one of the first opera singers to appear in motion pictures.
Reginald Farrar (1880-1920), an English actor and theatre manager, made significant contributions to the British stage during the early 20th century. He is particularly remembered for his performances in Shakespeare's plays and his efforts to promote the works of contemporary playwrights.
The name Farrar continues to be used as a given name in various English-speaking countries, though it has become less common in recent times. Its historical associations with skilled craftsmanship and dedication have endured, making it a name with a rich and varied legacy.
People
Farrar + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Farrar 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
Farrar: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Farrar?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 9 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Farrar 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 1 in 38,083,815 US residents.
Is Farrar a common name?
We classify Farrar as "Very Rare". It ranks above 25.5% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 10 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Farrar most popular?
The single biggest year for Farrar was 1976, when 5 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Farrar is about 50 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Farrar in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 102 people with the name Farrar, or 0.03 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #53,122 in the national Census ranking for first names.
Why is the Census count different from the living estimate?
Because they measure different things. The Census figure is a count of people who had the name Farrar in 2020. The living estimate aims to answer a current question instead: how many people with the name are alive today, based on SSA birth records and age-based survival rates. Since one number is a 2020 snapshot and the other is a present-day estimate, they are not expected to be identical.
What does the Census say about the gender split for Farrar?
The 2020 Census sex table shows Farrar on both sides of the split. Of the 111 people counted with this name, 44 were male (39.6%) and 67 were female (60.4%). The Census view is a snapshot of people living with the name in 2020, while the SSA section above tracks births across time.
What does the Census say about the background of people named Farrar?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Farrar is White at 83.3%. The next largest groups are Black (10.8%) and Hispanic (3.9%). These figures describe the people who had the name in 2020, not any inherent property of the name itself. The percentages in the chart above come from self-reported race and Hispanic-origin responses in the 2020 Census.
Which group reports the name Farrar most often in the Census?
White is the largest reported group for people named Farrar in the 2020 Census, accounting for 83.3% (85 people in the published table).
Why can the Census sex total and race total differ slightly?
The Census Bureau published separate 2020 tables for sex and for race/Hispanic origin, and the released figures can differ slightly because of privacy protection in the public files. That is why this page treats the gender section and the race/origin section as two related snapshots instead of forcing them into one identical total.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only includes names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files have no Census demographic snapshot. When that happens, the SSA trend, gender history, and state sections still appear, but the 2020 Census demographic sections are omitted.
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 Farrar in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Farrar a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Farrar in the SSA data are female. 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 Farrar still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Farrar 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 Farrar 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.
How many people have the name Farrar?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.