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

Farwell, 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 Farwell surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Farwell in America

Farwell is the 10717th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Farwell surname appeared 2,981 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 Farwell.

We can also compare 2010 data for Farwell 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 Farwell

The surname Farwell traces its origins to medieval England, with the earliest known use dating back to the 13th century. It is believed to have originated as a locational name, derived from a place name referring to a remote or distant valley. The name is thought to be a combination of the Old English words "feor" meaning far, and "well" referring to a stream or spring.

One of the earliest recorded mentions of the surname Farwell can be found in the Hundredorum Rolls of Oxfordshire from 1279, where it is spelled as "Ferwell." This document was a survey of landholdings in England, providing valuable insights into the distribution of surnames during that period.

The Farwell surname has also been linked to the village of Farewell in Staffordshire, which was recorded in the Domesday Book of 1086 as "Ferewell." This ancient record suggests that the name may have been derived from this specific place name, though the exact origins remain uncertain.

In the 14th century, the surname appears in various records with spellings such as "Ferewell," "Ferewall," and "Farewall." One notable bearer of the name was John Farwell, a merchant from London, who was mentioned in the city's records in 1388.

During the 16th and 17th centuries, the Farwell surname can be found scattered across various parts of England, with concentrations in counties like Hertfordshire, Warwickshire, and Gloucestershire. Notable individuals from this period include William Farwell, a landowner from Gloucestershire who was born in 1542, and Robert Farwell, a merchant from London who lived from 1598 to 1678.

As the centuries progressed, the Farwell surname continued to spread across the British Isles and beyond. In the 18th century, John Farwell, a British naval officer, gained recognition for his service during the American Revolutionary War. He was born in 1736 and died in 1808.

Another prominent figure was Samuel Farwell, an American soldier and politician who lived from 1760 to 1826. He served in the Continental Army during the American Revolutionary War and later became a member of the Massachusetts State Senate.

In the 19th century, Henry Farwell, an American businessman and philanthropist, made significant contributions to the city of Chicago. He was born in 1823 and passed away in 1912.

Throughout its history, the Farwell surname has been carried by individuals from various walks of life, including merchants, landowners, soldiers, and politicians. While its exact origins may be shrouded in uncertainty, the name continues to bear the traces of its medieval English roots and the notion of a distant or remote place.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Farwell

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

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

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

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