An English surname, Farnsworth comes from the Old English terms of ‘fearn’ and ‘wor’ which refers to a fern enclosure. Spelling variations for Farnsworth include Farnworth, Farnesworth, Farnworthy and Fanworth. In England the surname of Farnsworth, an Anglo-Saxon name, is most populated in the northern region; around Yorkshire, Lancashire, Durham, Derbyshire and Nottinghamshire counties. Early arrives of Farnsworth to America settled in Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York, Maine, Vermont, and Pennsylvania. By the 20th century many Farnsworth families were in across the country. Most were living in California, Texas, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Massachusetts, New York, West Virginia and Michigan. Famous: Kyle Lynn Farnsworth (professional baseball player), Dr. Dean Farnsworth (developer of the test for color blindness call Farnsworth Lantern Test), Bill Farnsworth (professional rugby player of Australia), Elon John Farnsworth (Union Civil War General killed at the Battle of Gettysburg), Philio Taylor Farnsworth (invented the cathode ray tube for television camera) and Richard W. Farnsworth (movie film actor and stuntman).