Fairwether Surname

5,391,485th
Most Common
surname in the World

Approximately 13 people bear this surname

Most prevalent in:
United States
Highest density in:
Ireland

Fairwether Surname Definition:

This surname is derived from a nickname. A colloquial expression for a happy, sunshiny fellow; v. Merryweather.

John Fayrweder, Cambridgeshire 1273. Hundred Rolls.

Hugh Fairweder, Lincolnshire, ibid.

Alexander Fairewedre, Close Rolls, 16 Edward.

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Fairwether Surname Distribution Map

PlaceIncidenceFrequencyRank in Area
United States61:60,409,8221,028,827
Australia21:13,497,850222,987
England21:27,859,030389,889
Ireland11:4,708,93929,543
Netherlands11:16,887,176156,465
Scotland11:5,353,81763,002
PlaceIncidenceFrequencyRank in Area
England431:566,86929,432
Scotland101:374,32210,959
PlaceIncidenceFrequencyRank in Area
United States511:984,68058,342

Fairwether Surname Meaning

From Where Does The Surname Originate? meaning and history

This surname is derived from a nickname. A colloquial expression for a happy, sunshiny fellow; v. Merryweather.

John Fayrweder, Cambridgeshire 1273. Hundred Rolls.

Hugh Fairweder, Lincolnshire, ibid.

Alexander Fairewedre, Close Rolls, 16 Edward.

Juliana Fayerweder, 1379: Howdenshire, n. 17.

Valentine Fairewether, C. Philip and Mary, pt.

1683. Married — Peter Farewether and Mercy Blunt: St. James, Clerkenwell.

1783. — John Fairweather and Sarah ---: St. George, Hanover Square.

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

John Phairwedder held a land in Perth in the reign of James II (Scon, p. 188), and Christopher Farewethir was serjeant of Linlithgow in 1472 (Sc. Ant., XVII, p. 117). The surname is of considerable antiquity in the Menmuir district. Valter Farwedder, presbyter of Dunkeld, whose name appears in 1547—63 is probably the first of the name in the locality. There were Fairweathers in Blairno in Navar in the early seventeenth century (Jervise, II, p. 340). Walter Fairwedder witnessed a precept of sasine of the lands of Fyndowry in 1558 (REB., II, 280), and Agnes Fairwodder was heir of Robert Fairwodder, merchant burgess of Dundee in 1609 (Inquis., 419). Thomas Fairweather is recorded in Dundee in 1583, and eighteen more of the name appear in the Commissariot Record of Brechin between 1576 and 1800. Thomas Fairwoder was burgess of Dundee in 1634 (Retours, Forfar, 224), and the Devil rebaptized the witch Catherine Skair in Brechin by the name of Isoble Farewedder. Janet Fairweather is recorded in the parish of Olrik in 1664 (Caithness), and John Fairweather of Turriff was killed in the first Great War (Turriff). A fanciful story is told of the origin of the name of the Fairweathers of Angus. This sept, it is said, was a branch of the old tribe of Morrey. The name is said, according to private family tradition, to be derived from three brothers' of the ancient Murrevians, who being forced to leave the north, assumed the name, in order to perpetuate the remembrance of their northern descent:-it being written in the Book of Job, ch. XXXVII. 22, 'Fair weather cometh out of the north' (Peter, Baronage of Angus, p. 91). Fairvedder 1609, Fainvadder 1537, Fairwoother 1649, Farveddar 1607. Fairwaddire, Fairweddor, Farewadder, Farweddar.

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

Fayrweder, H. R. See the cognate name Merryweather.

Patronymica Britannica (1860) by Mark Antony Lower

Fairwether Last Name Facts

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

The last name Fairwether is most common in The United States. It can occur as a variant:. Click here for other potential spellings of this surname.

How Common Is The Last Name Fairwether? popularity and diffusion

The last name is the 5,391,485th most commonly used surname world-wide It is held by approximately 1 in 560,580,455 people. The surname occurs mostly in The Americas, where 46 percent of Fairwether live; 46 percent live in North America and 46 percent live in Anglo-North America.

The surname is most widely held in The United States, where it is carried by 6 people, or 1 in 60,409,822. In The United States Fairwether is most numerous in: California, where 67 percent reside and Washington, where 33 percent reside. Excluding The United States this last name exists in 5 countries. It also occurs in Australia, where 15 percent reside and England, where 15 percent reside.

Fairwether Family Population Trend historical fluctuation

The incidence of Fairwether has changed over time. In The United States the number of people carrying the Fairwether last name fell 88 percent between 1880 and 2014; in England it fell 95 percent between 1881 and 2014 and in Scotland it fell 90 percent between 1881 and 2014.

Fairwether Last Name Statistics demography

Fairwether earn significantly less than the average income. In United States they earn 26.71% less than the national average, earning $31,625 USD per year.

Phonetically Similar Names

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Fairwether Reference & Research

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

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

Fairweather 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 Fairwether
  • 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