This surname is derived from an occupation. 'the farrier,' a maker of horse-shoes; Old French ferrer, to shoe horses; spelt 'ferrour' in Fabyan's Chronicle. the Frenchfer, iron; Latin ferrum, iron; compare Pettifer, Brasdefer, Firebrace; v. Farrar.

Roger le Fernr, Dorset, 1273. Hundred Rolls.

Thomas le Ferour. Somerset, 1 Edward III: Kirby's Quest.

Johannes de Hehstones, 1379: Poll Tax of Yorkshire.

Johannes r eraur, ferour, ibid.

William Ferour, juror, ibid.

The halfway house to Farrar is seen in the following:

1617. Baptised — Jeane. d. William Ferrar: St. Michael, Cornhill.

1735. Married — Ivory Ferrar and Elizabeth Powell: St. Dionis Backchurch.

(1) From OF. ferrier (Latin ferrarius), a blacksmith, maker of horseshoes. Ferrier of Kintrockat is an old family in Angus. A payment was made in 1301 of tenpence to Henry the Ferrier for iron for the king's use, and fivepence to Walter the Ferrier for the same purpose (Bain,II, 1271). The Scottish Ferriers carry horseshoes in their arms, but this may be simply canting heraldry. (2) A second possible derivation is from the occupation of ferryman. Lands originally attached to the ferry between Dumbarton and the point of Cardross parish, where the bridge now stands, called Ferrylands, were in 1512 in possession of Robert Ferrier of Ferrylands. compare John Glen, ferrier, at Erskine Boat, 1696 (Corsehill, p. 191). Peter Ferryar, maltman, burgess of Glasgow, 1596 (Burgesses). Feirier 1615. Susan E. Ferrier, novelist, and Professor James Frederick Ferrier, philosopher, were two of the most prominent of the name. compare Feriar.

= Ferrier, q.v.

The worker in metals, a smith.

Found in Catalonia, Aragon, Valencia, and Vizcaya. Derived from Aragonese "ferrer" and from latin "ferrarius" - ferrous or made of iron.

One of the many Peninsular names that comes from the "talleres de herreros" or ironsmiths in the Basque region.

Catalan name that originated in England. Branches in Balearic Islands, Aragon and Valencia.

See Ferrara, Ferreira, Ferrero, Herrera.

See Ferrers. FERRERS. FARRARS. The Itin. de la Norm, gives nine places called Ferriere, and four called Ferrieres, in Normandy. M. de Gerville considers the name to have some relation to the ancient iron-trade of that province, which is probable. Mem. Soc. Ant. Norman, 1844; but that this very ancient and noble family were farriers is an absurd notion, originating probably in some heraldric and feudal allusions. Many of the numerous coat-armours assigned to the name contain horse-shoes, and at Oakham, the chief town of Rutlandshire, an ancient barony of the family, a custom prevails to this day of demanding a horse-shoe of every peer of the realm who passes through the town, or a composition in money. See Wright's Rutland. Lewis' Topog. Dict., &c. Henry de Ferieres, ancestor of the old Earls of Derby, was a tenant in capite under the Conqueror, and held enormous estates in many counties, his caput baroniae being Tutbury, in Staffordshire. Collins. Kelham. A tradition makes the original Ferrers Master of the Horse to the Conqueror. The following account is given in B.L.G., though no authority is cited. The family derive from Walchelin, a Norman, whose son Henry assumed the name of Ferriers, a small town of Gastinors in France, otherwise called Ferrieres, from the iron-mines with which that country abounded.

A more correct orthography of Farrier.

Local: from Ferrieres, a town in Gastinois, France.

Local. From Ferrieres, a small town of Gastinois, France, so called from the iron mines with which the country abounded; or the name may have originated from the occupation of a farrier or iron—dealer.