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

Farewell, 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 Farewell surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Farewell in America

Farewell is the 44576th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Farewell surname appeared 482 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 Farewell.

We can also compare 2010 data for Farewell 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.

The history of the last name Farewell

The surname Farewell originated in England during the late 12th century. It is believed to have derived from the Old English words "fær" meaning journey or expedition, and "wel" meaning a spring or stream. Thus, the name likely referred to someone who lived near a spring or stream where travelers would stop to rest and take leave.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Feet of Fines for Essex in 1235, which mentions a William Farewelle. The Hundredorum Rolls of 1273 also list a Richard Farewelle in Oxfordshire. These early spellings varied, including Farewell, Farwell, and Farewell.

In the 14th century, the name appeared in various records across England, such as the Poll Tax of Yorkshire in 1379, which listed a Johannes Farewelle. The Pipe Rolls of Staffordshire in 1392 also mentioned a Thomas Farewell.

During the 16th and 17th centuries, the Farewell name was found in various locations across England, including Dorset, Somerset, and Gloucestershire. Some notable individuals with this surname include:

1. John Farewell (c. 1530-1600), an English politician who served as a Member of Parliament for Taunton in 1589.

2. Henry Farewell (1595-1670), an English clergyman and author who served as the Archdeacon of Stafford.

3. Arthur Farewell (1621-1689), an English politician who represented Shaftesbury in the House of Commons from 1661 to 1679.

4. Edward Farewell (1655-1724), a British author and philosopher who wrote extensively on moral philosophy and natural theology.

5. William Farewell (1763-1842), a British naval officer who served in the Royal Navy during the Napoleonic Wars and later became a Vice-Admiral.

The Farewell name also has connections to various place names in England, such as Farewell Green in Staffordshire and Farewell Farm in Somerset, which may have been named after individuals bearing this surname who lived in those areas.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Farewell

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

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 Farewell was:

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 Farewell has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

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 Farewell was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

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

Reference this page

We spend a lot of resources downloading, cleaning, merging, and formatting the data that is shown on the site.

If you found the data or information on this page useful in your research, please use the tool below to properly cite or reference Name Census as the source. We appreciate your support!