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

Farrington, 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 Farrington surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Farrington in America

Farrington is the 3844th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Farrington surname appeared 9,211 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 3 people would have the surname Farrington.

We can also compare 2010 data for Farrington 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 Farrington

The surname Farrington is of English origin, derived from the Old English words "fearn" meaning fern and "tun" meaning a farm or estate. It likely originated in the 12th or 13th century as a locational name for someone who lived near a fern-covered area or farm.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Farrington can be found in the Pipe Rolls of Staffordshire from 1199, where a Robert de Ferentone is mentioned. This spelling variation suggests the name may have originated from the village of Farndon, located in Cheshire.

In the 13th century, the name appeared in various forms, such as Ferynton and Farendon, reflecting the regional dialects and spelling variations of the time. The Hundred Rolls of 1273 mention a John de Ferinton from Buckinghamshire.

The Domesday Book, a comprehensive record of landowners and tenants compiled in 1086, does not include the surname Farrington. However, it does mention several places with similar names, such as Ferendone in Bedfordshire and Ferndun in Northamptonshire, which may have been the origins of later Farrington families.

One notable historical figure with the surname Farrington was Sir Henry Farrington (1614-1671), a prominent English judge and politician during the English Civil War. He served as a Baron of the Exchequer and was a Member of Parliament for Chichester.

Another significant individual was John Farrington (1609-1658), an English clergyman and academic who served as the President of the Queen's College, Oxford, from 1653 until his death.

In the literary world, Benjamin Farrington (1891-1974) was a British historian and philosopher known for his works on Greek science and philosophy, including his influential book "Greek Science: Its Meaning for Us."

In the military realm, Sir Anthony Farrington (1548-1630) was an English soldier and Member of Parliament who served as the Governor of the Isle of Man from 1600 to 1629.

Lastly, Edward Farrington (1633-1685) was an English minister and author who wrote several religious works, including "The Immateriality of the Soul" and "Remarks on Mr. Sherlock's Book, Entituled, A Discourse Concerning the Knowledge of Jesus Christ."

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Farrington

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

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

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

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