Farquhar as a Baby Name. Meaning and Origin of Farquhar

What is the meaning of the name Farquhar ?

The baby name Farquhar is a Male name , 2 syllables long and is pronounced FAR-kər (IPA: /ˈfɑːrkər/).

Farquhar is Scottish Gaelic in Origin.

Farquhar is the Anglicized form of Scottish Gaelic Fearchar (genitive Fearchair), from Old Irish Ferchar, built from fear “man” + car “dear, beloved,” giving the sense “beloved man” or “manly, kindly one.” The name is well attested in early medieval Gaelic sources, where Latinized spellings such as Ferchardus appear. Anglicization settled on Farquhar in Lowland Scots and English, while Fearchar remained standard in Gaelic records.

Noted bearers include Ferchar Fota, a 7th‑century ruler of Dál Riata, and Fearchar mac an t‑Sagairt, the 13th‑century Earl of Ross. The given name later gave rise to the patronymic surname and Clan Farquharson. As a given name it flourished in the Highlands and across the Scottish diaspora, peaking in the 18th–19th centuries; today it is uncommon but distinctive. Variants and related forms: Fearchar, Fearchair, Ferchar; occasional Anglicized Farquar; patronymic surname Farquharson.

⚙ Farquhar is a genuine rarity. In all, it appears just 6 times, across 3 countries.