Irish: shortened Anglicized form of Gaelic Ó Fearghail ‘descendant of Fearghal’ a personal name composed of the elements fear ‘man’ + gal ‘valor courage’.
Source: Dictionary of American Family Names 2nd edition, 2022
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Where is the Farrell family from?
You can see how Farrell families moved over time by selecting different census years. The Farrell family name was found in the USA, the UK, Canada, and Scotland between 1840 and 1920. The most Farrell families were found in USA in 1880. In 1891 there were 2,032 Farrell families living in Lancashire. This was about 40% of all the recorded Farrell's in United Kingdom. Lancashire had the highest population of Farrell families in 1891.
Use census records and voter lists to see where families with the Farrell surname lived. Within census records, you can often find information like name of household members, ages, birthplaces, residences, and occupations.
In 1939, General Labourer and Unpaid Domestic Duties were the top reported jobs for men and women in the United Kingdom named Farrell. 16% of Farrell men worked as a General Labourer and 66% of Farrell women worked as an Unpaid Domestic Duties. Some less common occupations for Americans named Farrell were Barman and Housewife. .
Between 1940 and 2004, in the United States, Farrell life expectancy was at its lowest point in 1946, and highest in 2000. The average life expectancy for Farrell in 1940 was 56, and 75 in 2004.