Why is the surname Farmer so uncommon when there were large numbers of farmers for so long?

The long-running series in which readers answer other readers' questions on subjects ranging from trivial flights of fancy to profound scientific and philosophical conceptsWhy is the surname Farmer so uncommon when there were large numbers of farmers for so long? Is it because most of them were tenant farmers, and the actual landowners were higher up the social scale with longstanding family names? Gerry Cotter, Morecambe, LancsPost your answers (and new questions) below or send them to nq@theguardian.com. A selection will be published next Sunday. Continue reading...