Language & meaning
Meaning & Irish forms
Gaelic Gaelic Irish: chiefly the Ó Fearghail rulers of Annaly in Co. Longford, with smaller families of the name in Wicklow and Tyrone.[1]
The name is built on the personal name Fearghal, usually explained as “man of valour”. Woulfe glosses Fearghal as 'super-valour'; Wikipedia gives 'man of valour'. Wikipedia names the family's eponym as Fearghal, a great-grandson of Angaile, who gave his name to Annaly.[1][6][7]
Pronunciation
Farrell: FARR-ul
Place
Where the Farrells lived
How common the name was in each county, as a share of the population, in the three surviving full censuses of Ireland. Use the buttons to compare years.
Share of each county's census population. 1926 covers the 26 counties of the Irish Free State only.
Highest concentration · 1901
Longford
326 per 10,000
1,521 Farrells · 10.76× the national share
Highest share, 1901
Per 10,000 residents. A concentration index above 1 means the name was commoner there than nationally.
Highest concentration · 1911
Longford
333 per 10,000
1,460 Farrells · 11.06× the national share
Highest share, 1911
Per 10,000 residents. A concentration index above 1 means the name was commoner there than nationally.
Highest concentration · 1926
Longford
340 per 10,000
1,351 Farrells · 8.29× the national share
Highest share, 1926
Per 10,000 residents. A concentration index above 1 means the name was commoner there than nationally.
County figures as a table
| County | 1901 | 1911 | 1926 | Per 10k 1901 | Per 10k 1911 | Per 10k 1926 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Antrim | 198 | 236 | — | 4 | 5 | — |
| Armagh | 165 | 151 | — | 13 | 13 | — |
| Carlow | 247 | 275 | 277 | 66 | 76 | 81 |
| Cavan | 162 | 147 | 127 | 17 | 16 | 15 |
| Clare | 158 | 159 | 116 | 14 | 15 | 12 |
| Cork | 488 | 462 | 481 | 12 | 12 | 13 |
| Donegal | 152 | 114 | 99 | 9 | 7 | 7 |
| Down | 200 | 215 | — | 7 | 7 | — |
| Dublin | 2,633 | 2,831 | 3,106 | 60 | 59 | 62 |
| Fermanagh | 63 | 66 | — | 10 | 11 | — |
| Galway | 532 | 500 | 457 | 28 | 27 | 27 |
| Kerry | 129 | 120 | 110 | 8 | 8 | 7 |
| Kildare | 570 | 603 | 631 | 93 | 90 | 109 |
| Kilkenny | 320 | 311 | 285 | 42 | 41 | 40 |
| Laois | 349 | 306 | 294 | 61 | 56 | 57 |
| Leitrim | 307 | 284 | 205 | 44 | 45 | 36 |
| Limerick | 405 | 384 | 398 | 28 | 27 | 29 |
| Londonderry | 118 | 120 | — | 8 | 9 | — |
| Longford | 1,521 | 1,460 | 1,351 | 326 | 333 | 340 |
| Louth | 328 | 339 | 332 | 50 | 54 | 53 |
| Mayo | 295 | 310 | 279 | 15 | 16 | 16 |
| Meath | 582 | 593 | 572 | 83 | 91 | 92 |
| Monaghan | 114 | 83 | 119 | 15 | 12 | 18 |
| Offaly | 253 | 204 | 176 | 42 | 36 | 34 |
| Roscommon | 691 | 686 | 621 | 69 | 73 | 74 |
| Sligo | 186 | 180 | 194 | 23 | 23 | 27 |
| Tipperary | 385 | 348 | 327 | 24 | 23 | 23 |
| Tyrone | 169 | 173 | — | 11 | 12 | — |
| Waterford | 281 | 276 | 304 | 32 | 34 | 39 |
| Westmeath | 738 | 682 | 667 | 119 | 113 | 118 |
| Wexford | 285 | 271 | 305 | 27 | 27 | 32 |
| Wicklow | 382 | 330 | 300 | 64 | 54 | 53 |
Local strongholds in 1911
District Electoral Divisions (300+ residents) where Farrells made up the largest share of the population. In Rathcline, Co. Longford, about one resident in 6 was a Farrell.
| DED | County | Farrells | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rathcline | Longford | 170 | 16.4% |
| Doory | Longford | 56 | 10.6% |
| Ardagh West | Longford | 69 | 10.4% |
| Ardmulchan | Meath | 49 | 10.0% |
| Coolmountain | Cork | 70 | 9.5% |
| Moydow | Longford | 66 | 9.4% |
| Cashel East | Longford | 41 | 7.8% |
| Longford Rural | Longford | 91 | 7.8% |
Origins
Septs & territories
Many Irish surnames were adopted independently by unrelated families. These are the distinct Farrell lineages described in the sources.
A surname can point you towards a place. On its own, it cannot establish a pedigree.
Ó Fearghail of Annaly
Annaly (Anghaile), coextensive with modern Co. Longford · Longford
Woulfe's best-known family of the name, the ruling line of Annaly for many centuries. Their chief lived at Longford, Longphort Uí Fhearghail, 'O'Farrell's fortress', and Wikipedia adds a second seat at Moatfarrell between Ballinalee and Edgeworthstown. They belonged to the Conmaicne of Angaile, the people who gave Annaly its name.[1][6][7][8]
O'Farrell Boy (Uí Fhearghail Buí)
southern Annaly · Longford
One of the two great branches into which the O'Farrells divided by the 15th century: the 'yellow' O'Farrell. Wikipedia places this branch in South Annaly. Burke gives the arms of 'O'Ferrall Buoy', Lords of Annaly, and of a Ballintobber family descended from them.[1][6][9]
O'Farrell Bane (Uí Fhearghail Bán)
northern Annaly · Longford
The 'fair' or 'white' O'Farrell, the other main branch, which Wikipedia places in North Annaly. Burke records an O'Ferrall Bane family at Bawne in Co. Longford.[1][6][9]
Ó Fearghail of Wicklow and Tyrone
not described by Woulfe · Wicklow, Tyrone
Woulfe mentions other families of the name in Wicklow and Tyrone but gives no details of them.[1]
The name over time
History
Princes of Annaly
Annaly takes its name from Angaile, a 10th-century king who, according to Wikipedia, conquered the district that is now Co. Longford. His great-grandson Fearghal gave the family its surname, and the Ó Fearghail held Annaly from the early 11th century until the early 17th. Their chief seat was Longford itself, called Longphort Uí Fhearghail, 'O'Farrell's fortress', and they also held Moatfarrell further east. English invasions in the 12th and 13th centuries broke their rule for a time, but by the 15th century they were again in full control.[7][6][1]
Yellow and fair O'Farrells
In later medieval times the family split into two great branches. Woulfe names their heads O'Farrell Boy, the yellow O'Farrell, and O'Farrell Bane, the fair O'Farrell; Wikipedia places the white or fair line in North Annaly and the yellow line in South Annaly. The family also had a strong hold on the church. Wikipedia lists seven O'Farrell bishops of Ardagh between 1343 and 1516, the last of them Uilliam Ó Fearghail, who held the see from about 1480 until his death.[1][6][10]
Shiring and plantation
Annaly's independence was worn away in the 16th century. In 1552 Edward VI granted much O'Farrell land, including the Holy Island, to Baron Delvin. Woulfe dates the end of the O'Farrells' independence as a clan to 1565, when the lord deputy Sir Henry Sidney turned Annaly into a shire, the later county of Longford. The plantation schemes of James I hit them hard, and Wikipedia records that by 1618 they had been deposed as lords of Annaly. Many became tenants of the land their ancestors had ruled.[6][7][1]
Soldiers at home and abroad
Woulfe notes that, despite their losses, the O'Farrells played a prominent part in the wars of the 17th century, and that many later served as officers in the Irish brigades of France. Richard O'Farrell is a good example: he learned his trade in the Spanish army, came home in the 1640s to command a Longford regiment for the Confederates, fought at Benburb in 1646 under Owen Roe O'Neill and rose to lieutenant general. After surrendering in 1652 he returned to Spanish service.[1][11]
Genealogists and the More O'Ferralls
The family kept a strong interest in its own past. In 1709 Roger O'Ferrall compiled the Linea Antiqua, a large collection of Gaelic pedigrees that John O'Hart later drew on for his Irish Pedigrees, and which is now held by the Genealogical Office in Dublin. A marriage in 1751 between Richard O'Ferrall and Laetitia O'More founded the More O'Ferrall family of Balyna in Co. Kildare, whose Richard More O'Ferrall became Governor of Malta. Burke records their arms quartering O'Ferrall with O'More.[6][12][9]
Farrell, Farrelly and Frawley
Farrell and O'Farrell are the same name, and Woulfe gives Ferrall, Frahill and Fraul as rarer English forms. Farrelly is usually distinct: it normally stands for Ó Faircheallaigh, a Cavan church family who were erenaghs of Drumlane, although Woulfe notes that Ó Fearghaile, a variant of Ó Fearghail, was sometimes rendered Farrelly or Frawley too. In Donegal the related Ó Firghil gave Freel and Friel, a family who inaugurated O'Donnell as chief of Tír Chonaill.[1][3][13][14]
Places linked to the name
- Longford (An Longfort), Co. Longford — Its older name, Longphort Uí Fhearghail, means 'O'Farrell's fortress'; the chief's seat.[1][6]
- Moatfarrell (Móta Uí Fhearghail), Co. Longford — A second O'Farrell seat in eastern Annaly, between Ballinalee and Edgeworthstown.[6]
- Annaly (Anghaile), Co. Longford — The O'Farrell lordship, named after Angaile and matching the modern county.[7][1]
- Diocese of Ardagh, Co. Longford — See held by a run of O'Farrell bishops in the 14th and 15th centuries.[6][10]
Everyday lives
The Farrells in the census
Who the Farrells were in the 1901 and 1911 censuses (and 1926 where recorded), set against everyone in Ireland in the same census.
Farrells All of Ireland Ireland's figure marked on the Farrell bar
Religion, 1911
Irish language
13 Farrells spoke Irish only in 1901.
Reading & writing
Family life, 1911
Commonest occupations
Adults aged 15+, 1901 and 1911 combined.
| Farmer | 2,363 |
| Farmer's son | 1,128 |
| Farmer's daughter | 583 |
| General labourer | 526 |
| Agricultural labourer | 511 |
| Labourer | 400 |
| Farm servant | 317 |
| Farm labourer | 290 |
| House keeper | 275 |
| Domestic servant | 255 |
Born outside Ireland
1.4% of Farrells in 1911 gave a birthplace outside Ireland.
| England | 106 |
| Scotland | 32 |
| United States | 27 |
| Australia & NZ | 5 |
| Wales | 4 |
| India | 3 |
Median age: 24 in 1901, 26 in 1911.
Given names
First names among the Farrells
Men and boys
- John2,763
- Patrick2,292
- James1,986
- Thomas1,566
- Michael1,556
- William938
- Joseph601
- Peter557
- Edward536
- Francis302
Women and girls
- Mary3,130
- Bridget1,514
- Margaret1,051
- Ellen784
- Annie763
- Catherine707
- Kate669
- Anne619
- Elizabeth579
- Maggie316
All three censuses combined. Top five in 1926: John, Patrick, James, Michael, Thomas; Mary, Bridget, Margaret, Annie, Elizabeth.
Spellings
Spellings
This page combines the spellings below, which census enumerators and families used for the same name.
| Spelling | 1901 | 1911 | 1926 | Records |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Farrell | 12,632 | 12,332 | 11,171 | Search |
| O'Farrell | 615 | 754 | 950 | Search |
| Farrel | 159 | 133 | 12 | Search |
Related forms
- O'Farrell — The form keeping the Ó prefix.[1][15]
- O'Ferrall, Ferrall — Spellings used by several branches in Longford and Kildare, including the More O'Ferralls.[1][9][6]
- Frahill, Fraul, Farrahill — Rarer English renderings Woulfe gives for Ó Fearghail.[1]
- MacFarrell — From the separate surname Mac Fearghail.[4]
- Éilís Ní Fhearghail — The Irish form used by women, as in the name of Elizabeth O'Farrell.[16]
Diaspora
The Farrells abroad
Emigration carried the name worldwide. In the 2010 United States census:
| Spelling | People | US rank |
|---|---|---|
| Farrell | 52,321 | 652nd |
| O'Farrell | 2,127 | 14127th |
| Farrel | 695 | 32960th |
Source: US Census Bureau, 2010 surname file (public domain).
Heraldry
Is there a Farrell coat of arms?
Arms were granted to particular families, so there is no single Farrell crest. Burke's General Armory records for O'Ferrall Buoy, Lords of Annaly, a gold lion rampant on green, with a black greyhound springing from a coronet as crest and the motto 'Cu reubha', which he translates 'I have broken my hold'. Burke gives the same or similar arms for several Longford branches, including Ballintobber, Tenelick and Bawne, and a differenced version for O'Farrell of Dalyston, Co. Galway.[9]
Websites selling a single “Farrell family crest” are selling a design, not an inheritance. Arms in Ireland belonged to individuals and their heirs, and the Chief Herald of Ireland still grants arms that way today.
People
Notable people named Farrell
- Uilliam Ó Fearghail (died 1516) Bishop of Ardagh from about 1480, the last of the O'Farrell bishops of the see.
- Richard O'Farrell (fl. 1640s–1650s) Confederate lieutenant general who commanded a Longford regiment at Benburb in 1646.
- Richard More O'Ferrall (1797–1880) Kildare-born politician and senior official who served as Governor of Malta.
- Sir Thomas Farrell (c. 1827–1900) Irish sculptor whose statues of Smith O'Brien and Sir John Gray stand on O'Connell Street.
- Elizabeth O'Farrell (1883–1957) Nurse and Cumann na mBan member who carried the surrender at the end of the 1916 Rising.
- James T. Farrell (1904–1979) Chicago novelist best known for the Studs Lonigan trilogy.
- Eileen Farrell (1920–2002) American soprano who sang both opera and popular music over a near sixty-year career.
- J. G. Farrell (1935–1979) English-born novelist of Irish descent, author of the Empire Trilogy, including Troubles.
- Suzanne Farrell (born 1945) American ballerina and teacher, founder of the Suzanne Farrell Ballet.
- Maggie O'Farrell (born 1972) Irish-British novelist, winner of the Costa Novel Award in 2010.
- Colin Farrell (born 1976) Irish film actor, winner of three Golden Globe Awards.
Questions
Questions about the Farrell name
Is Farrell an Irish surname?
Yes. Farrell and O'Farrell come from the Gaelic Ó Fearghail, 'descendant of Fearghal'. The main family ruled Annaly, roughly the modern Co. Longford, for about six centuries, with their seat at Longford town. Woulfe also mentions smaller families of the name in Wicklow and Tyrone.[1][6][17]
What is Farrell in Irish?
Traditionally Ó Fearghail, 'descendant of Fearghal'. Gaois gives the modern standard spelling as Ó Fearail, with Ó Fearghail as an alternative. A woman uses Ní Fhearghail, as in Éilís Ní Fhearghail, the Irish name of Elizabeth O'Farrell, the nurse who carried the surrender in 1916.[1][2][16]
What does the name Farrell mean?
It means 'descendant of Fearghal'. Fearghal was a personal name that Woulfe glosses as 'super-valour' and Wikipedia as 'man of valour'. The family took its name from a particular Fearghal, whom Wikipedia identifies as a great-grandson of Angaile, the conqueror of Annaly.[1][6][7]
Are Farrell and Farrelly the same name?
Usually not. Farrell is from Ó Fearghail, the Longford family, while Farrelly is normally from Ó Faircheallaigh, a Cavan church family associated with Drumlane. Woulfe does note that the variant Ó Fearghaile was occasionally anglicised Farrelly, so a few Farrelly families may share the Farrell origin.[1][13][3]
What is the O'Farrell clan motto?
Burke's General Armory gives 'Cu reubha', which he translates 'I have broken my hold', as the motto of O'Ferrall Buoy, Lords of Annaly, and of several Longford branches. Like the arms, it belonged to those particular families rather than to everyone called Farrell.[9]
Is there a Farrell family crest or coat of arms?
Not one for every Farrell. Burke records for O'Ferrall Buoy, Lords of Annaly, a gold lion rampant on green, with a black greyhound as crest. Related families in Longford, Kildare and Galway bore the same or differenced versions, each recorded for a particular line.[9]
Where in Ireland is the Farrell surname most common?
In the 1911 census the largest numbers of Farrells lived in Dublin (2,831), Longford (1,460), Roscommon (686). Relative to population, the name was most concentrated in Longford (333 per 10,000), Westmeath (113 per 10,000), Meath (91 per 10,000).
How common was the Farrell surname in Ireland?
13,219 people were recorded as Farrell or O'Farrell or Farrel in the 1911 census of Ireland, making it the 37th most common surname. That is roughly 0.3% of the population, or 1 person in 332.
Looking for a Farrell ancestor?
Search every Farrell household in the 1901, 1911 and 1926 censuses, with free images of the original forms.
Evidence
Sources
- Patrick Woulfe, Ó Fearghail, in Irish Names and Surnames (1923)
- Gaois research group, Dublin City University, Sloinnte na hÉireann (Gaois surnames database) (2022)
- Patrick Woulfe, Ó Fearghaile, in Irish Names and Surnames (1923)
- Patrick Woulfe, Mac Fearghail, in Irish Names and Surnames (1923)
- Patrick Woulfe, Mac Fhearghail, in Irish Names and Surnames (1923)
- Wikipedia, Ó Fearghail (2026)
- Wikipedia, Annaly (2026)
- Wikipedia, Conmaicne Angaile (2026)
- Sir Bernard Burke, The General Armory of England, Scotland, Ireland, and Wales (1884). Entries 'O'Farrell, or O'Ferrall', 'O'Farrell (Glin and Killindowde)', 'O'Farrell (Dalyston)', 'O'Ferrall Buoy', 'O'Ferrall (Ballintobber)', 'O'Ferrall (Tenelick)', 'O'Ferrall Bane' and 'O'Ferrall (Balyna)'.
- Wikipedia, Uilliam Ó Fearghail (2026)
- Wikipedia, Richard O'Farrell (Irish Confederate) (2026)
- Wikipedia, Richard More O'Ferrall (2026)
- Patrick Woulfe, Ó Faircheallaigh, in Irish Names and Surnames (1923)
- Patrick Woulfe, Ó Firghil, in Irish Names and Surnames (1923)
- Wikipedia, O'Farrell (2026)
- Wikipedia, Elizabeth O'Farrell (2026)
- Wikipedia, Farrell (surname) (2026)
- Census of Ireland 1901 and 1911, and Census of Population 1926, National Archives of Ireland. Counts compiled by surnames.ie from the irishcensus.com transcription (dataset 20260831130351). 1926 data © National Archives of Ireland, CC BY 4.0.
How we compile these figures: methodology.