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
School 1,145
Farm Labourer 99
Private Means 93
General Servant (domestic) 78
General Labourer 74
Coal Miner Hewer 72
Farmer 70
Labourer 65
None 60
Dressmaker 58
Clerk 50
Scholar 49
Domestic Servant 44
House Keeper 38
Carpenter 35
At Home 34
Assisting In Business 30
General Servant Domestic 30
At School 28
House Painter 27
Bricklayer 26
Laundress 26
Shop Assistant 26
Carter 25
Housekeeper 24

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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