Given name & surname · also English
Farrah
“fair-haired woman”·“one who bears the burden”
Farrah is used as a given name and a surname. Interpretations include “fair-haired woman” and “one who bears the burden”. These belong to different or overlapping naming contexts.
Meaning & origin
What it means
Interpretations include “fair-haired woman” and “one who bears the burden”. These belong to different or overlapping naming contexts.
Where it comes from
This spelling has been associated with English and Arabic naming traditions.
How it developed
From Middle English ferreor (“iron worker, smith”).
Adapted from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0)
The story
Published U.S. birth records include this spelling as early as 1968. This is the earliest published observation available here, rather than a date for the name’s origin.
From dated birth records
Farrah through the years
- Babies since 1880
- 12,163
- 7 boys · 12,156 girls
- Most popular year
- 1977
- 1,515 babies
- 2025
- 168
- #1,328 for girls
- 2021–25 vs 2016–20
- −21%
- Easing
Where it’s given
By the numbers
In 2025, this name appeared in 168 U.S. birth records for girls, ranking No. 1,328 among girls’ names. Average annual use for girls was 21.4% lower in 2021–2025 than in 2016–2020. Its largest published annual count for girls was 1,515 in 1977. In 2025, California had the largest reported state-level birth count for girls with this name (16). Published U.S. population figures for this spelling include 10,175 as a first name in 2020; 757 as a surname in 2020.
From Social Security birth records and U.S. Census name counts for this exact spelling. Other spellings are counted separately.
Farrah’s family of names
Farrah has a related form in Farra. In English usage, Farrah has a related form in Farah. In English usage, Farrah has a related form in Farrar.
Inner ring: spellings · outer: nicknames and forms.
Nicknames & forms 3
Diminutives, pet forms, short forms and variants used alongside the name.
Spellings & scripts 1
The same name written differently, including transliterations into other scripts.
People named Farrah
- Farrah FawcettAmerican actress (1947–2009)
- Farrah AbrahamAmerican television personality, author and singerborn 1991
- Farrah FranklinAmerican R&B singerborn 1981
- Farrah ForkeAmerican actress1968–2022
- Farah NabulsiBritish-born and raised Palestinian human rights advocate, speaker, film writer, and producerborn 1978
- Farrah YousefSyrian singerborn 1989
- Farrah MoanAmerican drag queen and entertainerborn 1993
- Farrah EldibanyEgyptian mezzo-soprano (1989-)
- Farrah GrayAmerican businessmanborn 1984
Listed by how widely each person is written about, which says nothing about the name itself.
Appears in
Similar names
If you love Farrah, these share its style, era, origin or sound, from outside its own family.
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