FARNELL
Farnell is an English surname of Anglo‑Saxon origin. It is derived from the Old English word fearn, meaning *fern*, and the diminutive suffix -ell. The name first arose as a topographic designation for people who lived near fern‑covered hills or as a locational name derived from places bearing the elements fearn and hyll (hill) in their early names.
Recorded instances of the family name stem from the Domesday survey of 1086, where a place named Fernehil appears in Yorkshire. Similar place‑names, notably Farnell in Kent and Farnhill in the West Riding of Yorkshire, are listed in the British Pipe Rolls as early as the fourteenth century, in the forms William de Fernhulle (Hampshire, 1263), Hugh de la Fernhull (Worcestershire, 1275), and William atte Farnhulle (Surrey, 1298). A noted bearer of the name, Alexander Farnell, is recorded in a City of London correspondence in 1414.
The earliest known instance of the surname as it is most recognisable today is that of Richard de Farenhull in the Curia Regis Rolls of Berkshire, dated 1214 and dating to the reign of King John (1199‑1216). In the Scottish context, a Duncan de Ferneul appears as a witness to charters issued by Malcolm, Earl of Angus, between 1214 and 1246, suggesting a Scottish branch of the family in the former county of Angus, now part of the Tayside region.
While historically linked to specific localities in England and Scotland, the Farnell surname today is most commonly found within the United Kingdom. It remains a relatively uncommon surname, with few widely dispersed family lines outside the British Isles.
The Farnell family has a heraldic achievement that was officially granted to the family. The shield is gold; a red bend runs across it with three annulets of the field on the bend, surrounded by a bordure of the second bezantee. The motto adopted is Persevere, reflecting a tradition of determination and resilience among the bearers of the name.
Typical given names associated with the Farnell surname
Male
- Andrew
- Christopher
- David
- John
- Michael
- Paul
- Peter
- Richard
- Robert
- William
Female
- Elizabeth
- Jacqueline
- Jane
- Joanne
- Julie
- Margaret
- Mary
- Nicola
- Patricia
- Samantha
- Sarah
- Sharon
- Susan
Similar and related surnames
- Fairnell
- Fargnoli
- Farinella
- Farinelli
- Farinola
- Farmell
- Farnal
- Farnall
- Farndell
- Farne
- Farneel
- Farnel
- Farnhell
- Farnhill
- Farnill
- Farnol
- Farnwell
- Fearnaley
- Fearnall
- Fearneley
- Fearnell
- Fearnelly
- Fearnely
- Fernal
- Fernaley
- Fernall
- Fernally
- Ferneley
- Fernell
- Fernely
- Fornal
- Fornell
- Fournel
- Fragnoli
- Franel
- Franiel
- Frenel
- Frinnell
- Frunell
- Furnall
- Furnel
- Furnell
- Furnels
- Furnnal
- Furnwell
- Varnall
- Varnals
- Varnell
- Varnels
- Vearnalls
- Vernal
- Vernale
- Vernall
- Vernel
- Vernell
- Verneuil
- Vernillo
- Vernol
Related and similar names are generated algorithmically based on the spelling, and may not necessarily share an etymology.
How to communicate the surname Farnell in...
Braille
⠋⠁⠗⠝⠑⠇⠇
Morse
..-..-.-.-...-...-..
Semaphore
There are approximately 2,289 people named Farnell in the UK. That makes it roughly the 3,767th most common surname in Britain. Around 35 in a million people in Britain are named Farnell.
Surname type: Location or geographical feature
Origin: English
Region of origin: British Isles
Country of origin: England
Religion of origin: Christian
Language of origin: English
Famous people named Farnell
- Lewis Richard Farnell - Classical scholar and academic administrator (1856 to 1934)
Names and descriptions courtesy of Wikipedia, and may contain errors. This is not intended to be an exhaustive list of every famous person with this name.