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

Farren, 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 Farren surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Farren in America

Farren is the 10541st most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Farren surname appeared 3,042 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 1 people would have the surname Farren.

We can also compare 2010 data for Farren 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 Farren

The surname Farren originated in Ireland and has its roots in the Gaelic language. It is thought to have derived from the Irish Gaelic word "fearann," which means "land" or "territory." This suggests that the name may have been given to someone who owned or was associated with a particular piece of land or estate.

One of the earliest recorded mentions of the Farren surname can be found in the Annals of the Four Masters, a chronicle of medieval Irish history compiled in the 17th century. In this text, the name is spelled "O'Fearanainn," which translates to "descendant of Fearann."

During the 16th and 17th centuries, the Farren surname was prevalent in the counties of Sligo and Mayo in the western province of Connacht. It is likely that the name originated in this region and later spread to other parts of Ireland.

Notable individuals bearing the Farren surname include:

1. William Farren (1786-1861), an Irish actor and theatre manager who was a prominent figure in the early 19th century London stage.
2. Nellie Farren (1848-1904), an English music hall performer and actress, known for her roles in popular Victorian burlesque productions.
3. Michael Farren (1899-1962), an Irish Republican Army officer and politician who served as a member of the Irish parliament (Dáil Éireann) from 1923 to 1927.
4. Richard Farren (born 1948), an American actor and director best known for his work in television shows like "NYPD Blue" and "The West Wing."
5. James Farren (1821-1892), an Irish-born Australian surveyor and explorer who played a significant role in mapping and exploring parts of Western Australia in the 19th century.

While the Farren surname has its origins in Ireland, it has since spread to other parts of the world, including the United Kingdom, the United States, and Australia, due to Irish emigration and settlement in these regions.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Farren

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

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

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

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