FARQUHAR
Farquhar is a surname of Scottish origin, derived from the Gaelic personal name Fearchar, which translates to “dear man” or “beloved one”. The name is patronymic, identifying descendants of an ancestor named Fearchar. It has long been associated with families in the Scottish Highlands and is considered a symbol of Celtic heritage.
The earliest documented references to the name appear in the thirteenth century, with records from the 1220s and 1230s showing a man named Ferkar who served as earl of Ross. The name also surfaces in a 1283 charter where Macbeth filius Ferchware is mentioned. A 1450 charter lists Andro Farchare as a burgess of Ayr, demonstrating the surname’s presence among the gentry of Ayrshire. The mid‑fifteenth century is thus when the spelling Farquhar first appears in Scottish documentary sources.
Later documents from the early sixteenth century record individuals such as Andrew Ferquhar, a burgess of Montrose in 1526, and Andro Pharquhair, a witness in Kirkwell in 1543. In the seventeenth century, George Farquhar (1678–1707) achieved renown as a dramatist, author of The Beaux’ Stratagem. The National Biography records that he died of mortification at not receiving the captaincy promised him.
The surname has many variant spellings that arose from regional pronunciations and the lack of standardised spelling. These include Farquahar, Farker, Faraker, Farquar, Farquarson, and elsewhere the Anglicised forms Farkar, Forker and Forquhar. In County Down, Ireland the name appears as Farker, reflecting its introduction by Scottish settlers in the late medieval period.
In addition to its literary and noble associations, the Farquhar name is represented by a heraldic achievement granted to a family of Ayrshire. The shield is silver, bearing a black lion rampant, armed gold, between three sinister hands couped paleways, red.
Following the Highland Clearances of the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, many former clansmen adopted the surname to retain a link with their lost heritage. The diaspora that followed the colonial era has spread the name to the United States, Canada, Australia and New Zealand, where it remains relatively common among descendants of Scottish immigrants.
Outside of Scotland and these former colonies, the name is comparatively rare. Nevertheless, Farquhar remains a living reminder of Scottish Gaelic culture and the enduring legacy of the ancient clans of the British Isles.
Typical given names associated with the Farquhar surname
Male
- Alexander
- Andrew
- David
- George
- Ian
- James
- John
- Michael
- Robert
- William
Female
- Amanda
- Catherine
- Christine
- Elizabeth
- Helen
- Jacqueline
- Jean
- Karen
- Margaret
- Mary
- Rosemary
- Sarah
- Susan
Similar and related surnames
Related and similar names are generated algorithmically based on the spelling, and may not necessarily share an etymology.
How to communicate the surname Farquhar in...
Braille
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Morse
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Semaphore
There are approximately 4,317 people named Farquhar in the UK. That makes it roughly the 2,167th most common surname in Britain. Around 66 in a million people in Britain are named Farquhar.
Origin: Celtic
Region of origin: British Isles
Country of origin: Scotland
Religion of origin: Christian
Language of origin: Gaelic
Famous people named Farquhar
- Ryan Farquhar - Northern Irish motorcycle racer
- Andrew Farquhar - Army general
- George Farquhar -
- Anne Farquhar - Javelin thrower
- Horace Farquhar, 1st Earl Farquhar - Financier, courtier and Conservative politician (1844 to 1923)
- Gary Farquhar - Scottish football player
- Meg Farquhar - Golfer (1910 to 1988)
- Doug Farquhar - American soccer player (1921 to 2005)
- John Farquhar - Football player
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.