Explore the Family Name Farwell

The meaning of Farwell

English: 1. nickname from the Middle English phrase fare wel ‘do well, prosper’, or perhaps from the saluation fare wel ‘farewell, goodbye’. Compare Farewell 2. 2. habitational name from Farewell, Staffordshire, or another place so named (from Old English fæger ‘pleasant’ + wella ‘spring, stream’).

Dictionary of American Family Names, 2nd edition, © Oxford University Press, 2022.

How common is the last name Farwell in the United States?

Based on the Decennial U.S. Census data, the popularity of the surname Farwell has seen some changes over a decade. In 2000, Farwell was the 10,234th most popular surname in the United States. However, by 2010 it had slipped to the 10,717th spot, indicating a decrease in its ranking by around 4.72%. Despite this drop in rank, the actual count of individuals with the Farwell surname increased from 2,890 in 2000 to 2,981 in 2010, an increase of 3.15%. Consequently, the proportion of people named Farwell per 100k dropped by about 5.61%, from 1.07 in 2000 to 1.01 in 2010.

20002010Change
Rank#10,234#10,717-4.72%
Count2,8902,9813.15%
Proportion per 100k1.071.01-5.61%

Race and Ethnicity of people with the last name Farwell

Turning to ethnicity, the Decennial U.S. Census data reveals shifts in the ethnic identity associated with the surname Farwell between 2000 and 2010. The majority of individuals with this last name identified as White, although their proportion decreased slightly from 92.73% in 2000 to 90.84% in 2010. People identifying as Hispanic with the Farwell surname more than doubled, rising from 1.28% in 2000 to 2.58% in 2010. Both Asian/Pacific Islander and Black communities also saw increases in the percentage using the Farwell surname, with rises of 12.50% and 9.92% respectively. The proportion of individuals identifying as having two or more races or being American Indian and Alaskan Native also showed minor increases.

20002010Change
White92.73%90.84%-2.04%
Black3.63%3.99%9.92%
Hispanic1.28%2.58%101.56%
Two or More Races1.11%1.24%11.71%
American Indian and Alaskan Native0.76%0.81%6.58%
Asian/Pacific Islander0.48%0.54%12.5%

Farwell ancestry composition

23andMe computes an ancestry breakdown for each customer. People may have ancestry from just one population or they may have ancestry from several populations. The most commonly-observed ancestry found in people with the surname Farwell is British & Irish, which comprises 52.0% of all ancestry found in people with the surname. The next two most common ancestries are French & German (26.4%) and Scandinavian (4.2%). Additional ancestries include Italian, Eastern European, Spanish & Portuguese, Ashkenazi Jewish, and Japanese.

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ANCESTRY BREAKDOWNCOMPOSITION
British & Irish52.0%
French & German26.4%
Scandinavian4.2%
Other17.3%
Farwell

Possible origins of the surname Farwell

Your DNA provides clues about where your recent ancestors may have lived. Having many distant relatives in the same location suggests that you may all share common ancestry there. Locations with many distant relatives can also be places where people have migrated recently, such as large cities. If a large number of individuals who share your surname have distant relatives in a specific area, it could indicate a connection between your surname and that location, stemming from either recent ancestral ties or migration.

Based on 23andMe data, people with last name Farwell have recent ancestry locations in the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and Ireland.

RECENT ANCESTRY LocationPercentage
Greater Manchester, United Kingdom89.90%
Glasgow City, United Kingdom89.90%
Merseyside, United Kingdom89.90%
West Yorkshire, United Kingdom89.90%
Tyne And Wear, United Kingdom89.90%

What Farwell haplogroups can tell you

Haplogroups are genetic population groups that share a common ancestor on either your paternal or maternal line. These paternal and maternal haplogroups shed light on your genetic ancestry and help tell the story of your family.

The top paternal haplogroup of people with the surname Farwell is E-V13, which is predominantly found among people with European ancestry. Haplogroup E-V13 is descended from haplogroup E-M96. Other common haplogroups include R-L2 and IJK-L15, which are predominantly found among people with European and European ancestry. Other surnames with similar common haplogroups are: Blevins, Plante, Babcock, Futrell, Triplett, Grantham, Gallant, Lanier, Epperson, Harbison.

The most common maternal haplogroups of people with Farwell surname are: H1, J1c, H. These most commonly trace back to individuals of European ancestry.

farwellPaternal Haplogroup Origins E-M96
Paternal Haplo Image

Your paternal lineage may be linked to early Balkan migrants

Haplogroup E1b1b1a1b1a migrated in large numbers from the Balkans into Europe about 4,500 years ago, triggered by the beginning of the Balkan Bronze Age. During this migration, members of haplogroup E1b1b1a1b1a mainly followed rivers connecting the southern Balkans to northern-central Europe. Technological leaps often cause lineages to grow dramatically in numbers and in geographic range. The development of Bronze technology may have given men in haplogroup E1b1b1a1b1a a competitive advantage over other men, causing haplogroup E1b1b1a1b1a to proliferate and become widespread.

Your maternal lineage may be linked to the nomadic Tuareg of the Sahara

Though haplogroup H1 rarely reaches high frequencies beyond western Europe, over 60% of eastern Tuareg in Libya belong to haplogroup H1. The Tuareg call themselves the Imazghan, meaning “free people.” They are an isolated, semi-nomadic people who inhabit the West-Central Sahara and are known today for a distinctive dark blue turban worn by the men, and for their long history as gatekeepers of the desert.How did women carrying H1 make it all the way from western Europe to this isolated community? They likely migrated from Spain across the Strait of Gibraltar into Morocco after the Last Ice Age, where they were assimilated into the Berbers of the Mediterranean coast. Then, about 5,000 years ago, the Sahara shifted from a period of relative habitable conditions to its dramatically arid desert environment. This shift may have caused migrations throughout the Sahara, prompting the ancient Tuaregs to meet and mingle with the Berbers, bringing H1 lineages into their population.

Maternal Haplo Image

What do people with the surname Farwell have in common?

Spoiler alert: it's complicated. People with the same last name are usually no more genetically similar than a randomly sampled group of people from the same population. That said, people with the same surname are more likely to have similar ancestries than randomly sampled individuals. The reason is the tendency of people with similar cultural or geographical backgrounds to preferentially mate with one another. That's why people who share a surname may be more likely to share traits and tendencies in common than people within the general population. Check out the percentages below to see the prevalences of tastes, habits, and traits of people with your surname compared with prevalences among 23andMe users.

Preferences

Farwell

Chocolate Ice Cream

Prefers chocolate flavored ice cream over other flavors.

"Farwell" Surname 48.6%

23andMe Users 41.3%

Traits

Farwell

Misophonia

When sounds made by others, like the sound of chewing or yawning, provoke strong emotional reactions in an individual.

"Farwell" Surname 33.3%

23andMe Users 27.9%

Habits

Farwell

Sugary Drink

Drinks one or more sugary drinks per day.

"Farwell" Surname 32.7%

23andMe Users 21.1%

Wellness

Farwell

Migraine

A severe headache characterized by intense pain, sensitivity to light and sound, and often accompanied by nausea and vomiting.

"Farwell" Surname 21.9%

23andMe Users 16.4%

Are health conditions linked to the last name Farwell?

The short answer is that, if there is an association between surname and health, it's usually more about your ancestry than your name. Individuals with a given surname are no more genetically similar than the general population but often have similar ancestries. The populations of people associated with those shared ancestries often have sets of genetic variations, also known as alleles, in common. Some of those alleles are associated with a greater likelihood of developing certain diseases.

Disease variant frequency by ancestry

Disease allele frequencies in populations associated with the surname Farwell are shown below. Important Note: not everyone with a disease allele will develop these health condition

Age-Related Macular Degeneration

Y402H variant

Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is the most common cause of irreversible vision loss among older adults. The disease results in damage to the central part of the retina (the macula), impairing vision needed for reading, driving, or even recognizing faces. The 23andMe Health + Ancestry DNA test includes the two most common variants associated with an increased risk of developing the condition: the Y402H variant in the CFH gene and the A69S variant in the ARMS2 gene. Learn more about Age-Related Macular Degeneration

British & Irish 62.1%

23andMe Users 57.2%