Fairfax Surname Meaning & Origin
What the Fairfax last name means, where the surname began and how it spread.
Order your pack and our heraldry team researches and paints the Fairfax coat of arms for you.
Meaning and origin of the Fairfax last name
Meaning of the Fairfax last name: fair hair. Fairfax is an English surname from Old English faeger, "fair", and feax, "hair", a nickname for a man with fine hair. The Fairfaxes of Denton were a Yorkshire family. Sir Thomas Fairfax commanded the New Model Army, and Fairfax County in Virginia is named after Lord Fairfax. The last name has deep Yorkshire roots.
Arms associated with the Fairfax name
Coats of arms associated with the Fairfax last name belong to the English heraldic tradition, each with its own blazon.
Get your full Fairfax family history
This is only a glimpse of the Fairfax story. The full Fairfax history report goes much deeper into where the name began, who carried it and how the family spread, and it comes with a museum-style painted Fairfax coat of arms. Get the full Fairfax report.
Fairfax name FAQ
What does the Fairfax name mean?
Fair hair. Common variants include Fairfaxe.
Where does the Fairfax surname come from?
It originates in England, and is also found in the United States, Canada and Australia.
Is there a Fairfax coat of arms?
Arms were granted to individuals rather than to everyone with a surname. Herald Lab paints a personalized Fairfax coat of arms in museum style, based on historic heraldry.
Sources: Reaney & Wilson, Dictionary of English Surnames; Dictionary of American Family Names (Oxford).