Farrow is a hypercorrected form of Ferror (''Farrar''), an occupational surname for a blacksmith or an ironworker, an old name of early Medieval English and French origin. The name derives from the

Middle English Middle English (abbreviated to ME) is a form of the English language that was spoken after the Norman Conquest of 1066, until the late 15th century. The English language underwent distinct variations and developments following the Old English pe ...

and Old French terms "ferrer, ferreor, ferrur, ferour" (meaning "smith"), derivatives of "fer" (meaning "

iron Iron is a chemical element; it has symbol Fe () and atomic number 26. It is a metal that belongs to the first transition series and group 8 of the periodic table. It is, by mass, the most common element on Earth, forming much of Earth's o ...

" in French), from the Latin "ferrum". The development of the surname shows the usual Medieval English change in pronunciation (and thence spelling) from "-er" to "-ar" and "-ow" endings. Due to varying levels of literacy, and regional dialects the name morphs back and forth from Farrar, Pharo, Farra, Ferrar, Farrer, and Farrow, the name itself did not change, but the spelling of it depended upon the

scrivener A scrivener (or scribe) was a person who, before the advent of compulsory education, could literacy, read and write or who wrote letters as well as court and legal documents. Scriveners were people who made their living by writing or copying w ...

. The surname is found, in England, originally in those areas in which there were deposits of iron and thus an iron producing industry. Bearers of the surname belong to various haplogroups including E-M2, I-M233, I-M253,J-M172, R-M269, R-YP5578

Notable people

Amariah Farrow Amariah Farrow (born September 29, 1980) is a former Canadian football offensive lineman. He is tall and weighs . For his college career, Farrow went to Midwestern State University. After college (2005), he signed with the Lions as a free agent ...

(born 1980), professional football player in the Canadian Football League * Bill Farrow (1918–2003), American professional basketball player * Brad Farrow (born 1956), Canadian judoka * Dave Farrow, Guinness World Records holder for memory * David Farrow Maxwell (1900–1985), eightieth president of the American Bar Association * Elizabeth Farrow (1926–2010), All-American Girls Professional Baseball League player * Ernie Farrow (1928–1969), American jazz multi-instrumentalist * George Farrow (1913–1980), English footballer * Graham Farrow (born 1965), English playwright and screenwriter *

Jake Farrow James A. "Jake" Farrow (born October 18, 1972) is an American television writer and retired actor. He wrote for Fox's ''Arrested Development'' and two shows on The WB: ''Off Centre'' and '' What I Like About You''. He later worked as a writer and ...

(born 1978), television writer and actor * James Farrow (politician) (1827–1892), 19th century politician *

Jane Farrow Jane Farrow is a Canadians, Canadian author and broadcaster and community organizer. Her written works include ''Wanted Words'', ''Wanted Words 2'', and (with Ira Basen, David Wallechinsky and Amy Wallace) the ''Canadian Book of Lists''. She worke ...

, Canadian author and broadcaster * Jo Farrow, British broadcast meteorologist * John Farrow (baseball) (1853–1914), also known as Jack, American Major League Baseball player *

John Farrow John Villiers Farrow, Order of the Holy Sepulchre (Catholic), KGCHS (10 February 190427 January 1963) was an Australian film director, producer, and screenwriter. Spending a considerable amount of his career in the United States, he was nomina ...

(1904–1963), Australian film director * John Farrow (author), pen name of Trevor Ferguson (born 1947), Canadian novelist * Jonathan Farrow (born 1984), English cricketer * Joseph Farrow (c. 1652–1692), English cleric * Kenneth Farrow (1924–2007), English Police officer and recipient of the George Cross * Kenneth Farrow (American football) (born 1993), American football player * Margaret Farrow (1934–2022), American politician from Wisconsin *

Mark Farrow Mark Farrow (born May 1960) is a British graphic designer known for his work with English music label Factory Records and Manchester nightclub The Haçienda. He has also done work for bands such as Pet Shop Boys and Spiritualized. In 2009 he wa ...

, graphic designer *

Mia Farrow Maria de Lourdes Villiers "Mia" Farrow ( ; born February 9, 1945) is an American actress. She first gained notice for her role as Allison MacKenzie in the television soap opera ''Peyton Place (TV series), Peyton Place'' and gained further recogn ...

(born 1945), American actress * Nigel Farrow (born 1963), English cricketer *

Prudence Farrow Prudence Anne Villiers Farrow Bruns (born January 20, 1948) is an American author, meditation teacher, and film producer. She is a daughter of film director John Farrow and actress Maureen O'Sullivan and younger sister of actress Mia Farrow. Farr ...

(born 1948), American actress *

Ronan Farrow Satchel Ronan O'Sullivan Farrow (born December 19, 1987) is an American journalist. The son of actress Mia Farrow and filmmaker Woody Allen, he is known for his investigative reporting on sexual abuse allegations against film producer Harvey Wei ...

(born 1987), American human rights activist, son of Woody Allen and actress Mia Farrow * Samuel Farrow (1775–1824), American politician from South Carolina * Stuart Farrow, South African politician * Thomas Farrow (1833–1916), Canadian merchant and political figure * Tisa Farrow (1951–2024), American actress * William G. Farrow (1918–1942), American pilot on the Doolittle Raid in the Second World War * William Hastings Farrow (1893–1946), British flying ace in the First World War

References

{{surname, Farrow English-language surnames

Notable people

See also

References