Fairbairns Surname

2,635,433rd
Most Common
surname in the World

Approximately 54 people bear this surname

Most prevalent in:
England
Highest density in:
Scotland

Fairbairns 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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Fairbairns Surname Distribution Map

PlaceIncidenceFrequencyRank in Area
England391:1,428,66862,556
Scotland81:669,22723,443
South Africa41:13,544,426222,367
United States21:181,229,4661,556,795
France11:66,422,722504,397
PlaceIncidenceFrequencyRank in Area
England451:541,67528,673

Fairbairns 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)

Fairbairn’s (Son): v. Fair­bairn.

Surnames of the United Kingdom (1912) by Henry Harrison

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

Fairbairns Last Name Facts

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

The surname Fairbairns is more commonly found in England than any other country or territory. It can also appear as a variant:. Click here for further potential spellings of Fairbairns.

How Common Is The Last Name Fairbairns? popularity and diffusion

This last name is the 2,635,433rd most frequently held family name globally. It is borne by around 1 in 134,954,554 people. The last name occurs predominantly in Europe, where 89 percent of Fairbairns reside; 87 percent reside in Northern Europe and 87 percent reside in British Isles.

This last name is most common in England, where it is held by 39 people, or 1 in 1,428,668. In England it is primarily concentrated in: Kent, where 26 percent reside, North Yorkshire, where 21 percent reside and Greater London, where 13 percent reside. Outside of England Fairbairns exists in 4 countries. It also occurs in Scotland, where 15 percent reside and South Africa, where 7 percent reside.

Fairbairns Family Population Trend historical fluctuation

The frequency of Fairbairns has changed over time. In England the share of the population with the last name decreased 13 percent between 1881 and 2014.

Phonetically Similar Names

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Fairbairns Reference & Research

Fairbairn One-name Study - A profile of the Fairbairn surname with contact details for a researcher who collects any information pertaining to it.

Fairbairn FamilyTree DNA Group - A group collating DNA test results for those who bear the surname, includes results of DNA tests and discussions.

Fairbairn FamilyTree DNA Project - A description of a group researching the paternal lines of men who bear the surname with the help of DNA analysis.

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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 Fairbairns
  • 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