Given name & surname
Farrell
“a courageous man”
Farrell is used as a given name and a surname. One Irish interpretation is “a courageous man.”
Meaning & origin
What it means
One Irish interpretation is “a courageous man.”
Where it comes from
An origin associated with this spelling is Irish.
The story
Published U.S. birth records include this spelling as early as 1902. This is the earliest published observation available here, rather than a date for the name’s origin.
From dated birth records
Farrell through the years
- Babies since 1880
- 4,827
- 4,355 boys · 472 girls
- Most popular year
- 1956
- 99 babies
- 2025
- 0
- Outside the ranked list
- 2021–25 vs 2016–20
- −38%
- Cooling
Boys, girls and both
The balance of boys and girls given this name has shifted over time. Recent births are 100% boys.
By the numbers
The most recent published U.S. birth count for boys is 5 in 2024. Later missing counts do not mean the name went unused. Its largest published annual count for boys was 96 in 1935. Published U.S. population figures for this spelling include 2,629 as a first name in 2020; 50,453 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.
Farrell’s family of names
Farrell has a related form in Farrel. In English usage, Farrell has a related form in PHARRELL. Farrell has a related form in Farel.
Inner ring: spellings · outer: nicknames and forms.
Nicknames & forms 8
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 Farrell
- J. Farrell MacDonaldAmerican actor and director (1875-1952)
- Farrell DobbsAmerican labour organizer, left-wing politician, historian (1907-1983)
- Farrell TreacyBritish speed skaterborn 1995
- Farrell McElgunnIrish politician1932–2020
Listed by how widely each person is written about, which says nothing about the name itself.
Similar names
If you love Farrell, these share its style, era, origin or sound, from outside its own family.
Ferry
“descendant of Fearadhach”
87% boys · 13% girls
Kevan
“a beautiful and beloved child” · “a beloved and handsome man”
>99% boys
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“from the secluded narrow valley”
>99% boys
Gale
“a foreigner” · “one who is cheerful”
85% boys · 15% girls
Kinney
Kinney is a surname from Irish.
>99% boys
Kinnie
Kinnie is a masculine given name from Irish.
97% boys · 3% girls
Clavin
“son of Flaithimhín”
>99% boys
Neill
“the champion”
>99% boys