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

O'Farrell, 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 O'Farrell surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of O'Farrell in America

O'Farrell is the 14127th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The O'Farrell surname appeared 2,127 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 O'Farrell.

We can also compare 2010 data for O'Farrell 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 O'Farrell

The surname O'Farrell has its origins in Ireland and is derived from the Gaelic name Ó Faracháin, which means "descendant of Farachán." Farachán is an Irish personal name that may be a diminutive of the name Fearghus, meaning "man of vigor" or "virile man."

The O'Farrells were part of the Uí Bairrche, a powerful ancient Irish dynasty that ruled over the territory of Tír Chonaill, now known as County Longford and parts of County Westmeath. The name first appeared in historical records in the 11th century, when the O'Farrells were mentioned as chieftains and lords of their territories.

One of the earliest recorded O'Farrells was Muircheartach O'Farrell, who was the Lord of Annaly (a territory in County Longford) in the late 11th century. He is mentioned in the Annals of the Four Masters, a chronicle of medieval Irish history, for his involvement in battles and conflicts during that period.

Another notable O'Farrell was Fergal O'Farrell, who was the Abbot of the Cistercian Abbey of Laraghbrien in County Kildare in the 13th century. He is recorded in the Annals of the Four Masters as having died in 1287.

In the 16th century, during the Tudor conquest of Ireland, the O'Farrells were among the Irish clans that resisted the English colonization of their lands. One of the most famous O'Farrells from this period was Felim O'Farrell, who was a leader of the Irish forces during the Nine Years' War (1593-1603) against the English.

Another notable O'Farrell was Daniel O'Farrell, an Irish Franciscan friar who lived in the 17th century. He was a renowned scholar and author, known for his work "The Lives of the Irish Saints" published in 1647.

In more recent history, one of the most famous O'Farrells was William O'Farrell (1833-1915), an Australian politician and businessman who served as the Premier of New South Wales from 1899 to 1904.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name O'Farrell

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname O'Farrell.

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 O'Farrell 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 O'Farrell 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 O'Farrell was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

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

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