Farmer Name Origin, Meaning and Family History

Farmer Name Meaning: From Middle English & Old French 'ferm(i)er', one who collected taxes, revenues & imposts.

These first 'farmers' acted as brokers for major landowners or the crown & selected applicants to work the tenanted lands. Not applied to an owner of cultivated land until the 17th century.

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Surname Distribution

Census frequency by county

Name Concentrations Within England and Wales

Farmer Surname Statistics


Top Professions for the Farmer family

Profession Census Frequency
Living On Own Means 136
General Labourer 121
Scholar 81
Farmer 77
Dress Maker 71
General Servant Domestic 67
Cook Domestic 56
Domestic Servant 46
Housemaid Domestic 40
Agricultural Labourer 37
Carpenter 36
Servant Domestic 35
Laundress Wash 32
Tailoress 28
Gardener Domestic 27
Bricklayer 27
Butcher 26
Coal Miner Hewer 26
House Maid Domestic 25
Charwoman 23
House Keeper Domestic 22
House Painter 22
Dressmaker 20
Ordinary Agricultural Labourer 20
Carter On Farm 20

Farmer Surname Variants Ranking

Rank Surname Match Census Frequency
1 Farmer 100% 64,933
2 Fermor 67% 1,973
3 Farmar 83% 649
4 Fermer 83% 439
5 Framer 67% 388
6 Former 83% 323

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The surname Farmer is the most popular version of all its varients

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