About 'Fairlie'
Ceud mìle fàilte! Welcome!
This website is all about the Fairlie family of Scotland. Here you'll find a growing wealth of information about the family and clan at large, history and etymology of the name, notable Fairlies, and more.
If your name is any of the following (even if it's spelled a little differently), then you're generally considered to be a "Fairlie" (or Fearnleigh, or Fairie...)
Fairlie, Fairley, Fairly, Fairlee, Fearnleigh, Fairnleigh, Farinleigh, Farinlea, Farinley, Farnylie, Farnlye, Fernlie, Farnlie, Farnley, Fayrleigh, Fayrle, Farle, Fairle, Ferle, Ferly, Fferly, Fairy, Faerie, Faery, Fairie, Farie
A brief introduction
There are now Fairlies living all around the world, but the family this website focuses on originated in Scotland sometime prior to the 16th century. Fairlies from Scotland are speculated to be descended from ancient Celts in the British Isles, with ancestral roots in ancient Britons (including the Picts of Alba) and Gaels.
The exact origins of the family and name are hazy. The name emerged sometime before the 13th and 14th centuries. Respected geneologists and historians have remarked on how there is strangely little information available. These days the name is pretty widespread, and most separate families named Fairlie may only be related through a common ancestor who thrived hundreds of years ago. Maybe even longer!
This website hopes to serve to establish some grounds for the history of the families sharing the name, as well as the origins of the name itself. Even if there is no relation to be found, we share a common history at some point, and there is a wealth of lore and mystery behind us.
The tartan featured on this website
The tartan sett you see displayed around the website is actually a pretty recent invention. The Edinburgh Tartan was designed in the 1970's as a symbol for the region. The author's family originates in the land surrounding Edinburgh before the 14th century and so the city's regional tartan was chosen to decorate the website.
Further genelogical research is underway to better asssociate the family with other ancesteral clans.
The Fairlies of today are claimed as a sept by Clan Boyd .
It's most commonly stated that the Fairlie's can happily wear the Clan Boyd tartan in association. Scots love their tartan, but the origins of "clan tartans" is murky, with ancient tartans typically identifying peoples within a region rather than a particular clan. Learn more about tartans
Where are they all now?
Currently available Y-DNA data
There is limited data available. The known haplogroups are below. If your surname is listed at the top of this page and you have taken a DNA test and wish to share your results, please get in touch!
Subclade: R-M269 >>>>>>> L21 >> DF13 > Z39589 > DF49 >>>>> ZZ33_1 > ZP115 > ZP113 > BY23495 > BY24748 > BY49942 > R-FT4708
What if I want to know more about MY immediate family?
If you want to learn more about your origins, it can help to do a DNA test. Particularly anyone carrying a Y gene, as these genes are passed down directly through the genetic males (Y-DNA carriers).
A similar Y DNA strand can indicate a close relation, even very close genetic matches. Services like Family Tree DNA (the author and this website are in no way affiliated) offer extensive testing and even group projects focused on sifting through the data to trace origins, from the geneological period (present day to early-middle ages) all the way back to ancient pre-history and neolothic times.
Beyond testing and other possibly expensive measures, just get to your research. There are more resources available online and in public libraries than ever that can help you track your geneology over the years and even centuries, but it takes some work so be persistent and have patience.
One of the best resources for Scottish geneology is Scotland's People
Family and kin is about more than just DNA! It's about love and connection. A shared story with an infinite number of turns. Families named Fairlie can now be found in:
Scotland
Fairlie (or Fairley, Fairly, etc) is a common name in Scotland still, especially in the lowlands. You'll find people named Fairlie in Glasgow, Edinburgh, throughout Ayrshire, Lothian, and Fife.
They have lived in the Scottish lowlands for at least 800 years, with records of people named Fairlie going back to the late 1200's.
There is a town on the west coast of Scotland, in North Ayrshire, called Fairlie . There is also a barony .
Canada
Fairlies have lived in Canada for at least 150 years in some cases. Others, like the author's, arrived more recently.
While it's not a very common name in Canada, there are Fairlies living across the country, including British Columbia, Ontario, Quebec, New Brunswick, and Nova Scotia.
Ireland
Fairlies settled in Ireland (and particularly in the north) during the late middle ages and early modern period — from the late 17th century.
It's likely that the people from whom the Fairlies descend migrated from Ireland (or even back and forth between the Isles) with the advent of Gaels mixing with the existing Pictish (Cruithne) tribes in what is now Scotland.
England
The name Fairley emerged in southwestern England in the regions surrounding the Welsh borders, and particularly in Somerset, Dorset, Wiltshire, Gloustershire, Herefordshire, and Shropshire.
People with the name from this region may or may not share a similar ancestry to those from Scotland.
New Zealand and Australia
Fairlies have been living in both New Zealand and Austrila for at least 200 years, with many emmigrants from Scotland making their way to the other side of the world in the 18th and 19th centuries.
Today there is a town called Fairlie in New Zealand.
United States of America
The Fairlie name also appears throughout the USA. There are records of people with the last name Fairlie migrating to what is now the southern United States from at least the 18th century onward.