Farrell

Where Farrell comes from

Farrell hasn't made it into the dictionaries we draw on, and nobody well known enough for an encyclopedia has carried it yet — so for now its story is the one the SSA record tells. Names that spell a familiar sound a new way often live here for a while before anyone writes them down.

Along the way
  1. 1902
    First appearance
    #1,013 among boys, 6 babies — the first year at least five got the name.
  2. 1907
    Farrell Dobbs born
    American labour organizer, left-wing politician, historian
  3. 1935
    Peak, #589
    96 babies named Farrell — more than any year before or since.
  4. 1946
    The fade
    The first year with half the peak's births — down to #1,045.
  5. 1995
    Farrell Treacy born
    British speed skater
  6. 1995
    Mostly boys from here
    Until now more girls than boys got the name; from this year it's the other way round, and has stayed that way.
In the dictionary

No dictionary entry for this spelling — which is its own kind of rare.

Namesakes
  • Farrell Dobbs · American labour organizer, left-wing politician, historian, 1907–1983
  • Farrell Treacy · British speed skater, born 1995
  • Farrell McElgunn · Irish politician, 1932–2020

Sources: the origin note and dictionary entry are quoted from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0); the namesakes come from Wikidata (CC0); the milestones are worked out from the SSA record.