Fairbairne Surname

7,117,718th
Most Common
surname in the World

Approximately 7 people bear this surname

Most prevalent in:
South Africa
Highest density in:
South Africa

Fairbairne Surname Definition:

This surname is derived from a nickname. 'fair child,' a native of Yorkshire, where bairn is found in several surnames; compare Barnfather.

Robertus Thom-bame (i.e. Tom's child), 1379: Poll Tax of Yorkshire.

Johannes Wil-barne (i.

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Fairbairne Surname Distribution Map

PlaceIncidenceFrequencyRank in Area
South Africa51:10,835,541204,227
United States21:181,229,4661,556,795
PlaceIncidenceFrequencyRank in Area
England111:2,215,94364,354
Wales11:1,568,41619,290
PlaceIncidenceFrequencyRank in Area
United States41:12,554,671503,821

Fairbairne Surname Meaning

From Where Does The Surname Originate? meaning and history

This surname is derived from a nickname. 'fair child,' a native of Yorkshire, where bairn is found in several surnames; compare Barnfather.

Robertus Thom-bame (i.e. Tom's child), 1379: Poll Tax of Yorkshire.

Johannes Wil-barne (i.e. Will's child), 1379: ibid.

The instances prove the origin; compare Fairchild. Not to be confounded with Fairburn, which see.

Johannes Fayrebame, 1379: ibid.

Willelmus Fairebarn, 1379: ibid.

Robertus Fayrebarne, 1379: ibid.

A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames (1896) by Charles Wareing Endell Bardsley

Perhaps a metathesis for Frebern. Stodart seems to infer the same, Fairbaira = Freebairn, and a correspondent of Rev. Robert Wodrow in 1705 spells the name indifierendy 'Farbairn' and Freebairn' (Anol. Scot., II. p. 17, 21). The name of Bessie Bairebairne in Coldstream, 1685 (RPC., 3. ser. X, p. 478) may be a like mis-spelling. Stephen Fairburn, burgess of Berwick on Tweed, held the hostelry of the abbot and convent of Arbroath in Dundee a. 1327 (RAA., I, p. 315). The name of James Forbrayne who was admitted burgess freeman of Glasgow, 1601 (Burgesses), is perhaps an erroneous spelling. Fairbarne 1536, ffairbairne 1646.

The Surnames of Scotland (1946) by George Fraser Black (1866-1948)

A handsome child.

The Origin and Signification of Scottish Surnames (1862) by Clifford Stanley Sims (1839-1896)

The same as Fairchild—a fair, handsome bairn or child.

An Etymological Dictionary of Family and Christian Names (1857) by William Arthur

Fairbairn: Bairn, Scottish, a child. A fair or beautiful child. It may, however, mean, like the French beau-fils, a step-son.

Patronymica Britannica (1860) by Mark Antony Lower

The Fairbairns are also established in the Scottish border counties.

Homes of Family Names in Great Britain (1890) by Henry Brougham Guppy

Fairbairne Last Name Facts

Where Does The Last Name Fairbairne Come From? nationality or country of origin

The surname Fairbairne is most common in South Africa. It can occur as a variant:. For other potential spellings of this surname click here.

How Common Is The Last Name Fairbairne? popularity and diffusion

Fairbairne is the 7,117,718th most prevalent family name on a worldwide basis. It is borne by around 1 in 1,041,077,988 people. The surname Fairbairne occurs predominantly in Africa, where 71 percent of Fairbairne are found; 71 percent are found in Southern Africa and 71 percent are found in South Bantu Africa.

The last name Fairbairne is most frequently held in South Africa, where it is carried by 5 people, or 1 in 10,835,541. In South Africa it is most common in: Western Cape, where 100 percent reside. Aside from South Africa this surname is found in one country. It is also found in The United States, where 29 percent reside.

Fairbairne Family Population Trend historical fluctuation

The occurrence of Fairbairne has changed through the years. In The United States the number of people carrying the Fairbairne last name contracted 50 percent between 1880 and 2014.

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Footnotes

  • Surnames are taken as the first part of an person's inherited family name, caste, clan name or in some cases patronymic
  • Descriptions may contain details on the name's etymology, origin, ethnicity and history. They are largely reproduced from 3rd party sources; diligence is advised on accepting their validity - more information
  • Name distribution statistics are generated from a global database of over 4 billion people - more information
  • Heatmap: Dark red means there is a higher occurrence of the name, transitioning to light yellow signifies a progressively lower occurrence. Clicking on selected countries will show mapping at a regional level
  • Rank: Name are ranked by incidence using the ordinal ranking method; the name that occurs the most is assigned a rank of 1; name that occur less frequently receive an incremented rank; if two or more name occur the same number of times they are assigned the same rank and successive rank is incremented by the total preceeding names
  • Ethnic group cannot necessarily be determined by geographic occurrence
  • Similar: Names listed in the "Similar" section are phonetically similar and may not have any relation to Fairbairne
  • To find out more about this surname's family history, lookup records on Family​Search, My​Heritage, FindMyPast and Ancestry. Further information may be obtained by DNA analysis