This interesting name is of Old French origin, introduced into England after the Norman Conquest of 1066, and has two possible interpretations. Firstly, it may derive from a nickname for a person with iron-grey hair, or one who habitually dressed in grey, from the Old French 'ferrant', (iron)grey, a derivative of 'fer', iron, from the Latin 'ferrum'. Secondly, the modern surnames Farrant, Farrent, Farran(d), Ferran(d) and Farren, may derive from the medieval personal name 'Ferrant, Ferrant', Old French forms of the originally Old Spanish given name 'Ferdinand', composed of the elements 'farth', journey, expedition, with 'nanth', daring, brave.
The given name is recorded in the Latinized form 'Ferrandus' in the Essex Pipe Rolls of 1190, and as 'Ferant' in 1249. The marriage of John Farrent and Allse Pert was recorded at St. James's, Clerkenwell, London, on January 23rd 1667. The first recorded spelling of the family name is shown to be that of Gilbert Ferrant, which was dated 1188, The Warwickshire Pipe Rolls, during the reign of King Henry 11, known as 'The Builder of Churches', 1154 - 1189. Surnames became necessary when governments introduced personal taxation. In England this was known as Poll Tax. Throughout the centuries, surnames in every country have continued to "develop" often leading to astonishing variants of the original spelling.
Discovering the historical roots of ference is deeply interesting, as it takes us back to the ancestors and relatives who established this lineage. The origin, the coat of arms or the different heraldic shields, and the bibliography in which the surname ference is mentioned are part of this exciting investigation.
Although surnames have a specific origin at a certain time and region of the planet, many of them have spread far and wide across the world for various reasons, as is the case with the surname ference. The list of countries with a higher presence of people with the surname ference provides us with a perspective on the history of the surname, beyond its origins, focusing on its migrations.
The historical chronicle of ference is based on a striking series of events that were led by those who have carried this surname throughout history. For those like you, who are interested in the history hidden behind the surname ference, it is essential to find all kinds of information, both direct and tangential, that helps to construct a solid narrative of how the birth and expansion of ference developed.
We suggest that if you want to learn more about the surname ference, try to locate it through the bibliographic sources we suggest. We keep our website updated through our own research and also thanks to contributions from people like you, after verification; so if you have information about ference and send it to us, we will update it on this website.
It's more than likely that there have been some distinguished ferences throughout human history. Sadly, not all the contributions of those who bore the surname ference were recorded by the chroniclers of the time.
Thanks to a significant bibliographic review, we have so far compiled information on the heraldry, history, and genealogy of ference. The origin, history, coat of arms or different coats of arms, and the heraldry of ference are recorded in a wide variety of sources and documents that are essential to know for better compilation.
These sources are essential for initiating the understanding of ference, and at the same time, of surnames in general.