Farragher last name popularity, history, and meaning

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

Meaning of Farragher

An Irish surname derived from the Gaelic name O'Fearadhaigh meaning "descendant of Fearadhach".

Farragher, 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 Farragher surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Farragher in America

Farragher is the 59470th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Farragher surname appeared 340 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 Farragher.

We can also compare 2010 data for Farragher 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.

2010 2000 Change (%)
Rank 59470 58130 2.28%
Count 340 327 3.90%
Proportion per 100k 0.12 0.12 0.00%

The history of the last name Farragher

The surname Farragher is of Irish origin, with its roots traced back to the 16th century in County Mayo, Ireland. It is derived from the Gaelic word "fearachar," which translates to "man of arable land" or "ploughman." This suggests that the original bearers of this name were likely farmers or agricultural workers.

The earliest recorded instance of the name Farragher can be found in the Irish Annals from the 1500s, where it is spelled as "Fearagher." Over time, the spelling evolved to its current form, Farragher. Some alternative spellings include Farrager, Farragher, and Farraghere.

In the 17th century, the name Farragher appeared in the Petty Census of Ireland, which was a survey conducted by Sir William Petty in 1659. This census provides valuable insights into the distribution of surnames across Ireland during that period.

One notable figure in Irish history who bore the surname Farragher was Patrick Farragher, a prominent leader in the Irish Rebellion of 1798. He was born in County Mayo in 1770 and played a significant role in organizing and leading the rebel forces in his region during the uprising against British rule.

Another individual of note is Michael Farragher, who lived in the 19th century and was a renowned storyteller and seanchaĆ­ (Irish traditional bearer of oral history and lore). He was known for his captivating tales and his ability to preserve and pass down the rich cultural heritage of County Mayo.

In the literary realm, John Farragher (1892-1966) was an Irish poet and writer who gained recognition for his works exploring the lives and experiences of the Irish people, particularly those living in rural areas.

The surname Farragher has also been associated with various place names in Ireland, such as Farragher's Glen and Farragher's Hill, which are located in County Mayo. These place names likely derived from the presence of families bearing the Farragher surname in those areas.

While the surname Farragher is predominantly found in Ireland, particularly in County Mayo, it has also been carried by individuals who emigrated to other parts of the world, such as the United States, Canada, and Australia, during the 19th and 20th centuries.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Farragher

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

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 Farragher was:

Race/Ethnicity Percentage Total Occurrences
Non-Hispanic White Only 99.41% 338
Non-Hispanic Black Only 0.00% 0
Non-Hispanic Asian and Pacific Islander Only 0.00% 0
Non-Hispanic American Indian and Alaskan Native 0.00% 0
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 Farragher has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

2010 2000 Change (%)
White 99.41% 99.08% 0.33%
Black 0.00% 0.00% 0.00%
Asian and Pacific Islander 0.00% 0.00% 0.00%
American Indian and Alaskan Native 0.00% 0.00% 0.00%
Two or More Races (S)% (S)% (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 Farragher was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

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

Reference this page

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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!

"Farragher last name popularity, history, and meaning". NameCensus.com. Accessed on July 10, 2025. http://namecensus.com/last-names/farragher-surname-popularity/.

"Farragher last name popularity, history, and meaning". NameCensus.com, http://namecensus.com/last-names/farragher-surname-popularity/. Accessed 10 July, 2025

Farragher last name popularity, history, and meaning. NameCensus.com. Retrieved from http://namecensus.com/last-names/farragher-surname-popularity/.

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