Fairlie (surname)

Fairlie is a Scottish surname. It has alternatively been spelled Fairley, Fairly, Fairle, Ffairlie, Ferly, Fferle, among other similar variations. The Scots and Cumbric term fairlie/fferly/fferyll/fferyllt is often a synonym for fairy. These variations appear in various parish records and armorial rolls.

History
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
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
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). These kingdoms would have shared some cultural traits like languages.

The old Scots definition of a fairlie is:


 * A marvellous thing; a wonder .

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:


 * wizard, chemist, Virgil
 * fairy
 * craftsman / metallurgist

Both the Scots and Cumbric phrases seem loosely related to the concept of a "wonder-worker".

Notable people

 * 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