Farel last name popularity, history, and meaning

Find out how popular the last name Farel is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Farel.

Meaning of Farel

An occupational surname derived from the French word "farel" meaning a lantern maker.

Farel, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Farel surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Farel in America

Farel is the 130610th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Farel surname appeared 130 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 people would have the surname Farel.

We can also compare 2010 data for Farel to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

20102000Change (%)
Rank13061011485212.84%
Count130141-8.12%
Proportion per 100k0.040.05-22.22%

The history of the last name Farel

The surname Farel is of French origin, originating in the region of Provence in southern France during the Middle Ages. The name is believed to be derived from the Old French word "farer," which means "to wander" or "to travel." This suggests that the name may have been given to someone who worked as a traveler or wanderer.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Farel can be found in the 13th century, when a man named Guillaume Farel was mentioned in historical records from the city of Gap, located in the Hautes-Alpes region of Provence. This Guillaume Farel is believed to have been a merchant or trader who traveled frequently throughout the region.

In the 16th century, the name Farel gained prominence with the Protestant Reformer, Guillaume Farel (1489-1565). Born in Gap, Farel was a prominent figure in the Protestant Reformation and played a significant role in establishing the Reformation in several regions of present-day Switzerland and France.

Another notable individual with the surname Farel was Victor Farel (1617-1677), a French Baroque painter from Avignon. He was known for his religious paintings and worked extensively in churches throughout southern France.

In the 18th century, the name Farel was associated with Jean-Louis Farel (1735-1804), a French Protestant pastor and theologian who served in various parishes in the Swiss canton of Neuchâtel.

Moving into the 19th century, one notable bearer of the surname Farel was Étienne Farel (1828-1904), a French lawyer and politician who served as a member of the National Assembly for the department of Bouches-du-Rhône.

While the surname Farel has its roots in southern France, particularly in the region of Provence, it has since spread to other parts of France and Europe, as well as to other parts of the world through migration and immigration.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Farel

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Farel.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

  1. White only
  2. Black only
  3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
  4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
  5. Hispanic
  6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Farel was:

Race/EthnicityPercentageTotal Occurrences
Non-Hispanic White Only86.92%113
Non-Hispanic Black Only6.92%9
Non-Hispanic Asian and Pacific Islander Only0.00%0
Non-Hispanic American Indian and Alaskan Native(S)%(S)
Non-Hispanic of Two or More Races(S)%(S)
Hispanic Origin(S)%(S)

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Farel has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

20102000Change (%)
White86.92%91.49%-5.12%
Black6.92%(S)%(S)%
Asian and Pacific Islander0.00%(S)%(S)%
American Indian and Alaskan Native(S)%(S)%(S)%
Two or More Races(S)%0.00%(S)%
Hispanic(S)%(S)%(S)%

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Farel was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Farel, please contact us.

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