Farrar as a Baby Name. Meaning and Origin of Farrar

What is the meaning of the name Farrar ?

The baby name Farrar is a Male name , 2 syllables long and is pronounced /ˈfærər/ or /ˈfɑːrər/ (FAR-ər / FAIR-ər).

Farrar is English, French in Origin.

Farrar is an English surname-turned-given name rooted in an occupational term for a farrier or blacksmith. It descends from Middle English ferrour/ferror, borrowed from Old French ferrier “smith,” ultimately from Latin ferrum “iron.” The name signified someone who shoed horses or worked iron, and became established as a hereditary surname in medieval England, particularly in northern counties. As a given name, Farrar carries the literal sense of “worker of iron” or “farrier.”

Use as a first name is rare but documented from the 19th century onward in Britain and the United States, typically as a transferred family surname or honor name; it functions as gender-neutral but skews masculine. Noted variant spellings and close relatives include Ferrar, Farrer, Ferrier, and Farrier; related Romance cognates are Ferrer (Catalan/Spanish), Ferraro (Italian), and Ferreira (Portuguese). Farrar evokes craftsmanship, steadiness, and equestrian lore, offering a distinctive, understated occupational heritage.

⚙ Farrar barely registers. Across 7 countries, we found just 10 recorded uses of it.