Fardell Family History

From Middle English fardel(l) ferthedel ‘fardel (of land)’ (Old English fēorða dǣl ‘fourth part’), denoting a small piece of land equating to one quarter of a yardland. The surname may be a nickname for someone who only farmed a small piece of land or a locative name for someone who lived by a fardel or came from a place so named such as Fardel in Cornwood (Devon), which is recorded as Ferthedel in the 13th century.

From Middle English fardel ‘baggage pack of goods or supplies bound together to be carried or transported’ (Old French fardel), perhaps for a porter.