The English surname Fairbanks is of habitational  origin deriving from the place names  Fair Banks in Derbyshire or a number of smaller places in other parts of England. The name is derived  from the Middle English terms  'fair' (Old English 'forger') meaning 'lovely' or 'fair' plus 'bank', meaning 'bank' or 'hill.’ The first recorded spelling of the family name is shown to be that of Robert Fairbank son of Richard Farebank, which was dated 1583, in the 'Register of the Freeman of the City of York.