Fairlie (surname)
Fairlie is a Scottish surname. It has alternatively been spelled Fairley, Fairly, Fairle,[1] Ffairlie,[2] Ferly, Fferle, among other similar variations. The Scots and Cumbric term fairlie/fferly/fferyll/fferyllt is often a synonym for fairy.[3] These variations appear in various parish records and armorial rolls.
History
[edit]The family name emerges in two different locations in Scotland: Fairlie in Ayrshire and the former lairdship of Braid in Midlothian (now within the City of Edinburgh).
Motto
[edit]There are several mottos associated with Fairlies and recorded sets of arms. From the branch that descended from the family of Braid, the motto is recorded:
- "Paratus Sum" (Latin for "I am prepared")
- "I am readie"
Other Fairlies of Ayrshire, Falkland, and Myres have often preferred one of the following phrases:
- "Tak a thocht" (Scots for roughly "think on it")
- "Meditare" (Latin for "meditate / think")
Etymology
[edit]It's commonly speculated that the Scottish name Fairlie and its variety of spellings originates from an old or middle-English phrase meaning some version of:
- beautiful meadow
- the far field
- fern-covered field/meadow
- sheep field
- boar field
- bull field
Less commonly noted is that the name originates in regions that were anciently populated by Gaelic and Cumbric-speakers. There is known to be a series of Brittonic kingdoms that stretched from modern Wales, through the west coast of England (Cumberland), through to the southern regions of modern Scotland (Lothian).[5] These kingdoms would have shared some cultural traits like languages.
The old Scots definition of a fairlie is:
- A marvellous thing; a wonder[6].
There is a similar word in Cumbric and Welsh fferllys/fferyl relating to a region of Elfael in Wales and/or pseudo-mythical figures meaning either:
Both the Scots and Cumbric phrases seem loosely related to the concept of a "wonder-worker".
Notable people
[edit]- Fairlie-Cuninghame baronets
- Andrew Fairlie (actor), Scottish actor
- Andrew Fairlie (chef), Scottish chef
- Brian Fairlie (born 1948), retired tennis player from New Zealand
- Charles Fairlie Dobbs (1872–1936), British Indian Army officer
- Gerard Fairlie (1899–1983), Scottish author and scriptwriter
- Henry Fairlie (1924–1990), British political journalist and social critic
- Jamie Fairlie (born 2 August 1957), former Scottish footballer
- Jim Fairlie (born 1940), Scottish politician and financial analyst
- John Archibald Fairlie (1872–1947), Scottish political scientist
- Kristin Fairlie (born 1985), Canadian actress
- Margaret Fairlie (1891–1963), Scottish academic and gynaecologist
- Peter Fairlie (born 1957), Scottish squash player
- Reginald Fairlie (1883–1952), Scottish architect
- Robert Francis Fairlie (born 1830/1831), Scottish railway engineer
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ^ "Armorial of Sir David Lindsay of the Mount (Secundus, c. 1599)". The Heraldry Society of Scotland. Retrieved 4 April 2024.
- ^ "Queen Mary's Roll (c. 1562)". The Heraldry Society of Scotland. Retrieved 4 April 2024.
- ^ a b c "fferyllt". Oxford Reference. Retrieved 2024-04-04.
- ^ Michael Findlater, Alex (2008). The Crawford Armorial (1st ed.). Bristol, UK: Heraldry Society of Scotland. p. 257. ISBN 978-0-9525258-8-2.
- ^ "Teyrnllwg: A Bright Kingdom Slips Away Like Dust". The Cell of Sister Patience. 2015-05-25. Retrieved 2024-04-05.
- ^ "Dictionaries of the Scots Language:: DOST :: farly n". Retrieved 2024-04-04.
- ^ a b "fferyll", Wiktionary, the free dictionary, 2023-12-14, retrieved 2024-04-04