| Gregory William Fair - The Fair Family Crest |
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The Fair Family Crest's symbols and
colors
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The Red Shield -
'The Martyr's color', signifies Strength, Military Fortitude, and
Martyrdom. |
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Gold Mantling -
Represents Generosity and elevation of the mind. |
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The Anchor - The
Christian symbol of Hope, Salvation, and Steadfastness. |
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The Five Pointed Star
- Denotes Virtue, Learning, and Piety (religious devotion). |
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The Dove - A symbol
of the soul and Holy Spirit. It means peace and purity. |
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The Olive Branch -
Signifies a harbinger of good tidings. |
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The Helmet -
Reserved only for nobility, signifies noble family. |
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A
Family Crest, also known as a "Coat of Arms" is a symbol granted by
only by kings to knights and noble families in medieval Europe.
Knights
and noblemen decorated their shields and flags with their coat of arms
to identify themselves or their armies on the battlefield.
Symbols
were often added to a coat of arms for acts of valor and honor.
Likewise symbols could be removed from the coat of arms if the family
did not display the virtues symbolized.
The early recordings include Robert Faier, in
the Suffolk Court Rolls of 1191, Henry le Vayre in the Duchy of
Cornwall
Accounts for 1297, Dorothy Fayre (1573, Stepney), Elizabeth Faire
(1616,
London) and Abraham Fair (1799, London). Amongst the early recording is
that of
Robert Faires who married Anne Flaws on June 2nd 1696 at St Dunstan's,
Stepney,
London.A Coat of Arms granted to Sir Arthur Phayre (Chief Commissioner
in
British Burmah has the blazon of Gules a cross moline argent,
surmounted of a
bend azure in the sinister chief an Eastern Crown ore, all within a
border of
the last. The Crest being, out of an eastern crown a dove holding a
laurel
branch. The first recorded spelling of the family name is shown to be
that of
Edeua Faira, which was dated 1086, in the Domesday Book of Middlesex,
during the
reign of King William 1, known as "The Conqueror", 1066 - 1087.
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.
The
use of coats of arms became pretty common by the 12th century, and were
used by many knights and minor feudal lords who went into battle.
Within another century, families were using coats of arms (usually ones
granted to an ancestor a century before) as the family logo, and sewed
these arms onto flags that flew above their castles and manors.
Only
the highest classes of people in medieval Europe used coats of arms, as
they were the only one with ancestors distinguished enough to have been
granted them by the kings of the time.
Once a family started
using a coat of arms, it was passed down through the generations, from
father to son, even down into the present day.
Some of the first settlers of this family name were:
The oldest son would inherit his family’s coat of arms and pass it down
through his sons.
When
a noble woman married, the coat of arms of her family was often added
to her husband’s coat of arms, and passed down through their successive
generations.
The first recorded spelling of the family name
is shown to be that of Edeua Faira, which was dated 1086 A.D., in the
Domesday Book of Middlesex, during the reign of King William 1, known
as "William The Conqueror", 1066 - 1087 A.D.
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The Fair Surname
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This interesting
and unusual name is a variant of Fair which
is a personal name of pre 8th Century Anglo-Saxon origin which does
mean what
it says, "the fair or beautiful one".
It derives from the
Old German
"Faeger" and was equally popular in its different spellings in
England, Norway, Denmark and Sweden and was also taken up with
enthusiasm by
the Norman invaders of 1066.
The variant
spellings include Faire, Fayre, Faers,
Fayer, Fyers, Phair and Phayre.
Origins: French,
Irish, Scottish
The Fair surname is
derived from the Middle English word
"fair," or "fayr," from the Old English "fæger;"
meaning "handsome," "beautiful," or
"fair." As such, the name is generally considered to have originally
been a nickname, although it was in occasional
use as a personal name for both men and
women.
Fair
Early Origins
The surname Fair
was first found in Cumberland,
where they
held a family seat from very ancient times, some say well
before the Norman Conquest and the arrival of Duke William
at Hastings in 1066 A.D.
Spelling variations
of this family name include: Fair,
Faire, Faires, Fayer, Fayers, Fairs, Fare, Phair, Phaire, Phayre, Phares
and many more.
The Great
Migration - Some of the first settlers of this family name
were:
Fair Settlers in United States in
the 18th Century
- William Fair, who landed in Virginia in
1704
- Joseph Fair landed in Pennsylvania in 1772
- William Fair landed in Pennsylvania in
1774
Fair Settlers in United States in
the 19th Century
- Robert Fair, who arrived in Charleston,
South Carolina in
1802
- Richard Fair, who landed in Charleston,
South Carolina in
1807
- James Fair, who landed in New York, NY in
1811
- Ann Fair, who landed in New York, NY in
1811
- William Fair, who arrived in
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in
1812
Fair Settlers in Canada in the
18th Century
- Mr. Francis Fair U.E. who settled in
Charlotte County, New
Brunswick c. 1784 he was part of the Cape Ann Association
Fair Settlers in Canada in the
19th Century
- John Fair, who arrived in Canada in 1820
- John Fair, who landed in Canada in 1831
- Alice Fair settled in Ontario in 1871
- Abraham Fair came to Manitoba in 1891
- Agatena Fair came to Manitoba in 1891
Fair Settlers in Australia in the
19th Century
- William Fair, English convict from
London, who was transported
aboard the "Agamemnon" on April 22, 1820, settling in New South
Wales, Australia
- Andrew Fair, aged 23, a labourer, arrived
in South Australia
in 1858 aboard the ship "Melbourne"
Fair Settlers in New Zealand in
the 19th Century
- Jane Fair arrived in Auckland, New
Zealand aboard the ship
"Sydenham" in 1870
Contemporary Notables of the name Fair
(post 1700)
- Elinor Fair (1903-1957), American motion
picture actress
- Brian Fair (b. 1975), American musician,
best known as lead
vocalist of the heavy metal band Shadows Fall
- Jad Fair (b. 1954), American singer,
guitarist and graphic
artist
- Lorraine Ming "Lorrie" Fair (b. 1978),
American
member of the World Cup Champion United States national soccer team
- Ron Fair, American record producer
arranger, recording
engineer and songwriter
- Brigadier-General Ford Larimore Fair
(1898-1946), American
Chief of Staff, European Air Transport Service (1946)
- Benjamin F. Fair, American Republican
politician, Alternate
Delegate to Republican National Convention from Ohio, 1912
- A. Lee Fair, American Democrat
politician, Alternate
Delegate to Democratic National Convention from Ohio, 1944
- Charles H. Fair, American politician,
Mayor of Chillicothe,
Ohio, 1967
- Charlie Fair, American Democrat
politician, Delegate to
Democratic National Convention from Mississippi, 1952
Fair Historic Events
HMS Hood
- Mr. George W Fair (b. 1919), English
Shipwright 4th Class
serving for the Royal Navy from Birmingham, England, who sailed into
battle on
the HMS
- Hood and died on 24th May 1941 in the
sinking
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| The early recordings include Robert Faier,
in
the Suffolk Court Rolls of 1191, Henry le Vayre in the Duchy of
Cornwall
Accounts for 1297, Dorothy Fayre (1573, Stepney), Elizabeth Faire
(1616,
London) and Abraham Fair (1799, London). Amongst the early recording is
that of
Robert Faires who married Anne Flaws on June 2nd 1696 at St Dunstan's,
Stepney,
London.A Coat of Arms granted to Sir Arthur Phayre (Chief Commissioner
in
British Burmah has the blazon of Gules a cross moline argent,
surmounted of a
bend azure in the sinister chief an Eastern Crown ore, all within a
border of
the last. The Crest being, out of an eastern crown a dove holding a
laurel
branch. The first recorded spelling of the family name is shown to be
that of
Edeua Faira, which was dated 1086, in the Domesday Book of Middlesex,
during the
reign of King William 1, known as "The Conqueror", 1066 - 1087.
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. |
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Greg Fair
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Gregory Fair
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Gregory William Fair
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Falls Church
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Virginia
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