The Farmer surname

In the 2010 U.S. Census, 69,617 people carried this name — #480 among all U.S. surnames, about 1 in every 4,240 people counted. That is up 2% from 68,309 in 2000.

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What the name means

The meaning of the Farmer surname

As an English and Welsh surname

Bardsley classes it as an occupational name: ‘the farmer’.

An early record he cites: Thomas Fermour, 1379 — Poll Tax, Howdenshire.

From Charles W. Bardsley, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames, with Special American Instances (London: Henry Frowde, 1901), p. 282 · public domain.

In Ireland’s birth registers, 1890

Ireland registered 6 births for the Farmer name in 1890.

Most were registered in Ulster. By the Registrar-General’s own method — births multiplied by 44.38 — that is about 300 people bearing the name in Ireland at the time.

Too few records to say where it concentrates region by region — these are plain counts, not shares.

Where they were born, 1890

Ulster 3
Connacht 2
Munster 1

Registrar-General for Ireland, «Special Report on Surnames in Ireland» (R. E. Matheson, 1894), births index of 1890 — public domain.

In France’s civil register

France’s register of deaths holds 30 people named Farmer.

Most of them — 16 — were born outside France. Those born in France came from 7 départements, most often Paris.

Too few records to say where it concentrates region by region — these are plain counts, not shares.

Where they were born

Born outside France 16
Paris 5
Gironde 2
Meuse 2
Sarthe 2
Manche 1
Pyrénées-Atlantiques 1
Haut-Rhin 1

Fichier des personnes décédées, INSEE — Licence Ouverte 2.0 · deaths recorded in France since 1970, by place of birth.

In the Nordic population registers

31 people named Farmer is counted in Sweden.

Sweden’s figure is from 31 December 2022, the last count Statistics Sweden published.

Counted, by country

Sweden (2022) 31

Own calculations based on data from Statistics Sweden (SCB), surnames with at least two bearers, 31 December 2022 — CC BY 4.0 (names with 20 or more bearers shown).

Among the farmers of England and Wales, 1880s

Farmer was found among the farmers of 7 counties.

It was most frequent in Leicestershire and Rutland: 30 in every 10,000 farmers there — about 1 in 333. Guppy counted the farmers listed in each county’s directory and recorded a name only where it reached about 7 in every 10,000; where it does not appear, it was rarer than that, not absent.

Where it concentrates, on the map

Per 10,000 farmers, by county

Leicestershire and Rutland 30
Shropshire 29
Worcestershire 26
Surrey 20
Wiltshire 18
Devon 13
Kent 12

H. B. Guppy, «Homes of Family Names in Great Britain» (London, 1890), alphabetical list of English and Welsh names — public domain · farmers in Kelly’s Post Office Directories of the 1880s, per 10,000 farmers in each county.

In Scotland’s registers today

Farmer was recorded 52 times in Scotland’s registers of births, marriages and deaths in 2025.

That made it the 504th most common name in those registers, shared with others on the same count. In 1975, the first year of the series, the count was 49. Each birth counts the child’s surname, each marriage both partners’ and each death the surname of the person who died — a yearly count of registrations, not of the people who live in Scotland.

National Records of Scotland, «Most Common Surnames, 2025» (published 26 May 2026): every surname recorded 10 or more times in the 2025 registers, and the series from 1975 · different spellings are counted separately — © Crown copyright 2026. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.

In the first U.S. census, 1790

136 families named Farmer, or a close spelling, were counted in 1790.

Each family is counted by its head. About 752 people lived in those households, 5.5 to a family on average. The table counts it together with 2 other spellings. The table lists white heads of families only, in the twelve states whose 1790 records survive; Virginia’s figures come from state lists of 1782–1785.

Families, by state

Virginia 42
North Carolina 29
Massachusetts 20
South Carolina 11
New Hampshire 8
Vermont 8
Maryland 7
Pennsylvania 5
Connecticut 4
New York 2

U.S. Census Bureau, «A Century of Population Growth from the First Census of the United States to the Twelfth, 1790–1900» (Washington, 1909), table 111, p. 239 — public domain · names carried by at least 100 white persons in 1790.

In print

Farmer in American newspapers,
1861–1920.

Newspaper page from Evening Star carrying the name Farmer
Evening Star 1920-02-04
Newspaper page from Evening Star carrying the name Farmer
Evening Star 1902-03-05
Newspaper page from New-york Daily Tribune carrying the name Farmer
New-york Daily Tribune 1861-01-30

Chronicling America, Library of Congress — digitised newspapers in the public domain · 37,499 pages in all carry the name.

In print

Farmer in Australian newspapers,
1820s–2000s.

102,333 articles name a Mr, Mrs or Miss Farmer. The most, 18,398, date from the 1930s. Victoria has the most articles, but weighed against how much of each state’s press from the same decades has been digitised, the name stands out most in Queensland, at 1.4 times its expected share.

Articles, by state

Victoria 26,542
Queensland 26,256
New South Wales 21,467
South Australia 14,424
Western Australia 9,877
Tasmania 3,034
ACT (Canberra) 561
Northern Territory 61

Trove, National Library of Australia (trove.nla.gov.au) · articles in its digitised newspapers that name a Mr, Mrs or Miss Farmer.

Who carried it

People named Farmer,
with a public archive behind them.

  • George Farmer
    George Farmer 1732–1779 · military personnel
  • Moses G. Farmer
    Moses G. Farmer 1820–1893 · inventor
  • Hannah Tobey Farmer
    Hannah Tobey Farmer 1823–1891 · writer
  • James Farmer
    James Farmer 1823–1895 · politician
  • John Q. Farmer
    John Q. Farmer 1823–1904 · judge

Wikidata (CC0) · portraits via Wikimedia Commons, shown cropped, in the public domain or CC0 · 255 lives in all are documented under this name.

In the public record

People named Farmer,
in the records of 9 countries.

Soldiers, farmers, migrants and neighbours who carried the name and left a trace in public archives. Everyone shown here died long ago or was born more than a century ago.

United States5,273 records

5,273 records of the Farmer name in the United States
  • U.S. Army enlistment records, World War II 2,419
  • U.S. veterans' cemetery records, burials to 2001 906
  • Other U.S. records 1,948
  1. Names engraved on the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, Washington, D.C.
    Example: U.S. war memorial
    War record Michael Lee Farmer

    Born 1947; from Atlantic City, New Jersey. U.S. Army, infantryman; killed in action 1968 in Thua Thien, South Vietnam. Buried at Beverly National Cemetery, New Jersey.

    U.S. National Archives, Defense Casualty Analysis System (public domain); U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Gravesite Locator (CC0)
  2. A United States Selective Service registration card, 1942
    Example: U.S. registration card, 1942
    Military record Glen Farmer

    Born 1918 in Oklahoma. Enlisted 1941 at New Mexico; office clerk from Eddy County, New Mexico. U.S. Army veteran of World War II; died 2001, buried at Maxine Farmer, Artesia, New Mexico.

    U.S. National Archives, WWII Army Enlistment Records (public domain); U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Gravesite Locator (CC0)
  3. A passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, arriving at New York in 1903
    Example: passenger manifest, 1903
    Passenger record Matilda Farmer

    Arrived at New York in 1892 aboard the Germanic from Liverpool and Queenstown, aged 33; servant. From Pittsburgh, England; bound for Pittsburgh.

    U.S. National Archives, Castle Garden Immigration Center Collection, Ship Passenger Records (unrestricted)

Showing 3 of 5,273 records for Farmer in the United States.

Counts: U.S. National Archives, WWII Army Enlistment Records (public domain) · U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Gravesite Locator (CC0) · U.S. National Archives, Castle Garden Immigration Center Collection, Ship Passenger Records (unrestricted) · NYC Department of Records & Information Services, Historical Vital Records (NYC Open Data) · U.S. National Archives, Flexoline Index Data File (public domain) · New York State Department of Health, Genealogical Research Death Index · U.S. National Archives, Famine Irish Passenger Records (public domain) · U.S. National Archives, Defense Casualty Analysis System (public domain) · City of Asheville (public domain, PDDL) · Sacramento County, Historic Burials (CC BY 4.0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Vietnam Veterans Memorial, photo by U.S. Army Sgt. 1st Class Michael J. Carden, 2009 (public domain); U.S. Selective Service registration card, 1942 (public domain); Passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, New York, 1903 (public domain).

Australia1,789 records

1,789 records of the Farmer name in Australia
  • Victoria passenger lists, 1839–1923 928
  • Victoria wills and probate, deaths to 2001 307
  • Other Australian records 554
  1. An 1829 etching of convicts being rowed out to the prison ship York in Portsmouth Harbour
    Pictured: convicts going on board a prison ship, 1829
    Transportation record Mary Ann Farmer

    Transported to Van Diemen's Land aboard the Navarino, sailing from London in 1840. Native of Dudley, Staffordshire. Applied for permission to marry in Van Diemen's Land in 1846. Married 1846 in Hobart, Tasmania, aged 30.

    Libraries Tasmania, Tasmanian Names Index (CC BY 4.0)
  2. An 1829 etching of convicts being rowed out to the prison ship York in Portsmouth Harbour
    Pictured: convicts going on board a prison ship, 1829
    Transportation record William Farmer

    Transported to Van Diemen's Land aboard the Lady Harewood, sailing from London in 1829. Native of Stafford, Staffordshire. Applied for permission to marry in Van Diemen's Land in 1840.

    Libraries Tasmania, Tasmanian Names Index (CC BY 4.0)
  3. An 1829 etching of convicts being rowed out to the prison ship York in Portsmouth Harbour
    Pictured: convicts going on board a prison ship, 1829
    Transportation record Thomas Farmer

    Transported to Van Diemen's Land aboard the Argyle, sailing from Plymouth in 1831. Native of Woodchurch, Kent. Applied for permission to marry in Van Diemen's Land in 1840.

    Libraries Tasmania, Tasmanian Names Index (CC BY 4.0)

Showing 3 of 1,789 records for Farmer in Australia.

Counts: Public Record Office Victoria (CC BY 4.0) · Queensland State Archives (CC BY 4.0) · Libraries Tasmania, Tasmanian Names Index (CC BY 4.0) · Museums of History NSW – State Archives Collection (CC BY) · State Library of Western Australia (CC BY 4.0) · National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain) · ACT Government, Transport Canberra and City Services (CC BY 4.0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Prison-ship in Portsmouth Harbour, with the convicts going on board, etching by Edward William Cooke, 1829, Royal Museums Greenwich (public domain).

Canada322 records

322 records of the Farmer name in Canada
  • Nova Scotia Archives name indexes 236
  • City of Winnipeg cemetery records 30
  • Other Canadian records 56
  1. The first page of an emigration file from Gündlingen, Baden, 1883
    Example: German emigration file, 1883
    Emigration record Sally Farmer

    Left New York in 1783 aboard the Clinton, bound for Annapolis and St Johns, aged 56.

    Nova Scotia Archives. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Nova Scotia.
  2. A passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, arriving at New York in 1903
    Example: passenger manifest, 1903
    Passenger record John Farmer

    Came to Ontario in 1878 aboard the Caledonia, landing at New York, bound for St. Catharines, Ontario; English.

    Archives of Ontario. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Ontario.
  3. A Canadian First World War grave register card for a soldier who died of wounds in 1917
    Example: Canadian war grave register, 1917
    War record Arthur Farmer

    Served in the No. 2 Construction Battalion in the First World War, private; of Shelburne, Nova Scotia.

    Nova Scotia Archives. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Nova Scotia.

Showing 3 of 322 records for Farmer in Canada.

Counts: Nova Scotia Archives. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Nova Scotia. · City of Winnipeg. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Winnipeg. · Veterans Affairs Canada. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Canada. · City of Vancouver. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Vancouver. · City of Calgary. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – City of Calgary. · Archives of Ontario. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Ontario. · Halifax Regional Municipality. Contains information licenced under the Open Government Licence—Halifax. · National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Emigration file, Gündlingen, 1883, Landesarchiv Baden-Württemberg, Staatsarchiv Freiburg B 694/1 Nr. 1389 (CC BY 4.0); Passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, New York, 1903 (public domain); Canadian First World War circumstances-of-death register (scan by Scottgraham87 via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0).

United Kingdom109 records

109 records of the Farmer name in the United Kingdom
  • War Office casualty lists, 1917–1919, among the dead 72
  • St James's burial ground, Euston (London), 1789–1853 35
  • Stirling Council burial records 2
  1. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record George Blackwood Farmer

    Died 1962, aged 43; buried at Logie Cemetery, Stirling, Scotland.

    Stirling Council. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.
  2. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record William Farmer

    Buried in 1819 at St James's burial ground, Euston, London, aged 27.

    MOLA and HS2, St James's burial ground data. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.
  3. A First World War roll of honour of the staff of C. & E. Morton Ltd
    Example: roll of honour, 1914–1919
    War record F. Farmer

    East Yorkshire Regiment. Listed among the dead in the War Office casualty list of 1917.

    National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain)

Showing 3 of 109 records for Farmer in the United Kingdom.

Counts: National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain) · MOLA and HS2, St James's burial ground data. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. · Stirling Council. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Burial register of Newtown, Montgomeryshire, 1858, National Library of Wales (CC0); C. & E. Morton Ltd roll of honour, 1914–1919, photo by Adrian S Pye via Geograph (CC BY-SA 2.0).

New Zealand33 records

33 records of the Farmer name in New Zealand
  • Christchurch City cemetery records 28
  • War Office casualty lists, 1917–1919, among the dead 3
  • Other New Zealand records 2
  1. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record Daphne Farmer

    Died 1997, aged 88; buried at Bromley Cemetery, Christchurch, Canterbury.

    Christchurch City Council (CC BY 4.0)
  2. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record Albert Farmer

    Died 1987, aged 70; buried at Omahu Cemetery, Thames-Coromandel District, Waikato.

    Thames-Coromandel District Council (CC BY 4.0)

Showing 2 of 33 records for Farmer in New Zealand.

Counts: Christchurch City Council (CC BY 4.0) · National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain) · Thames-Coromandel District Council (CC BY 4.0) · Waimakariri District Council (CC BY 4.0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Burial register of Newtown, Montgomeryshire, 1858, National Library of Wales (CC0).

France10 records

10 records of the Farmer name in France France's national death register, 1970–2001
  1. A page of the death register of Nice, 1930
    Example: French death register, 1930
    Death record Jackie Dony Farmer

    Born 1925 in Romagne-sous-Montfaucon (Meuse); died 1992 in Millau (Aveyron).

    Insee, Fichier des personnes décédées (Licence Ouverte)
  2. A page of the death register of Nice, 1930
    Example: French death register, 1930
    Death record Henriette Eugenie Marie Farmer

    Born 1902 in Bordeaux; died 1980 in Lormont (Gironde).

    Insee, Fichier des personnes décédées (Licence Ouverte)

Showing 2 of 10 records for Farmer in France.

Counts: Insee, Fichier des personnes décédées (Licence Ouverte). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Death register of Nice, 1930, Archives départementales des Alpes-Maritimes (public domain).

Ireland7 records

7 records of the Farmer name in Ireland County Galway graveyard records
  1. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record Bridget Farmer

    Died 1982, aged 91; buried at Trabane An Trá Bháin, Co. Galway.

    Galway County Council (CC BY 4.0)
  2. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record Winnie Farmer

    Died 1947, aged 89; buried at Trabane An Trá Bháin, Co. Galway.

    Galway County Council (CC BY 4.0)

Showing 2 of 7 records for Farmer in Ireland.

Counts: Galway County Council (CC BY 4.0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Burial register of Newtown, Montgomeryshire, 1858, National Library of Wales (CC0).

Netherlands7 records

7 records of the Farmer name in the Netherlands
  • Dutch population registers 5
  • Dutch civil registers (births, marriages, deaths) 2
  1. A marriage entry in the civil register of Tilburg, 1911
    Example: marriage register, 1911
    Marriage record Vincent Murray Farmer

    Married in 1945 in Rotterdam.

    Open Archives, Stadsarchief Rotterdam (CC BY 4.0)
  2. A marriage entry in the civil register of Tilburg, 1911
    Example: marriage register, 1911
    Marriage record Thomas Farmer

    Married in 1919 in 's-Gravenhage.

    Open Archives, Haags Gemeentearchief (CC BY 4.0)

Showing 2 of 7 records for Farmer in the Netherlands.

Counts: Open Archives (CC BY 4.0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Marriage register, Tilburg, 1911, Regionaal Archief Tilburg (public domain).

Germany4 records

4 records of the Farmer name in Germany Germany's First World War casualty lists, 1914–1919
  1. A page of the German First World War casualty lists, 18 April 1918
    Example: German casualty list, 1918
    Casualty list Joseph Farmer

    From Ponholz, Oberpf. Reported dead in the Bavarian casualty list of 22 May 1915 (Infantry Regiment No. 10).

    Verein für Computergenealogie e.V. (2026). Deutsche Verlustlisten des Ersten Weltkriegs – Datensammlung (Version 1.0), DOI 10.5281/zenodo.18330751 (CC0)

Showing 1 of 4 records for Farmer in Germany.

Counts: Verein für Computergenealogie e.V. (2026). Deutsche Verlustlisten des Ersten Weltkriegs – Datensammlung (Version 1.0), DOI 10.5281/zenodo.18330751 (CC0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Deutsche Verlustlisten, Prussian list 1116, 18 April 1918 (scan via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 3.0).

Nearby in the index

Surnames next to Farmer.

When the index is not enough

This page says where Farmer is.
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