Farr
Usually a surname from a place-name, especially the parish of Farr in Sutherland, Scotland.
The #1,794 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 15,429 Americans shares it.
Etymology
The surname Farr is most often explained as a locational name taken from the parish of Farr in Sutherland, with a related place-name in Inverness-shire. The place-name itself is generally linked to older Celtic or Norse naming layers, though the exact original sense is not firmly settled in these excerpts. Some 19th-century writers also suggested a connection with Old Norse words for a traveller, but that looks less secure than the place-name explanation.
History
19th-century surname dictionaries regularly treat Farr as a Scottish locational surname. It is therefore found especially in records of Scottish families, and it may also appear in English records through later migration. Some older writers mention it alongside related forms such as Farrand and Farrant, but those names are usually separate in origin.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
A single Scottish place-name, Farr, is enough to explain a modern surname that now appears far beyond Scotland.
From the historical record
“landers, ii. 177. FARR. FARRE. A parish in Suther- landshire ; a place in Inverness-shire. FARRANCE. See Farrant. FARRAXD. Mr. Ferguson derives it from the O-Norse farandi, signifying a traveller ; but see Farrant, with which it is no doubt identical. FARRANT. The English form of Fer- diuandus, Spanish Fernandez…”
— Patronymica Britannica: a dictionary of the family names of the United Kingdom