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

Farr, 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 Farr surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Farr in America

Farr is the 1794th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Farr surname appeared 20,011 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 7 people would have the surname Farr.

We can also compare 2010 data for Farr 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 Farr

The surname FARR is of English origin, derived from the Old English word "feor," meaning "far" or "distant." It likely originated as a descriptive name referring to someone who lived far away or came from a distant place.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the FARR surname can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, where it appears as "Ferre" or "Farre." This suggests that the name was already established in England during the Norman Conquest.

In the 13th century, the name was also recorded in various forms, such as "Ferre," "Farre," and "Ferre de Malmesbury," indicating a connection with the town of Malmesbury in Wiltshire.

Notable individuals with the FARR surname include Richard Farr (c. 1530-1594), an English composer and musician who served as a Gentleman of the Chapel Royal under Queen Elizabeth I. Another prominent figure was Samuel Farr (1741-1795), a British naval officer and explorer who served as a commander in the Royal Navy during the American Revolutionary War.

In the literary world, Jonathan Farr (1720-1798) was an English author and playwright known for his comedic works, such as "The Constant Couple" and "The Mistakes of a Night."

Moving into the 19th century, William Farr (1807-1883) was a renowned British statistician and epidemiologist who played a crucial role in developing modern medical statistics and public health initiatives.

Another notable person was John Farr (1829-1913), a British architect responsible for designing several notable buildings in London, including the grand hotel at Charing Cross Station.

Over the centuries, the FARR surname has also been associated with various place names, such as Farringdon in London and Farringworth in Northamptonshire, which may have influenced the spelling and pronunciation of the name in different regions.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Farr

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

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

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

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