The first six farms in the De Aar area were laid out on 1 Sept. 1837 surveyed and issued to farmers. De Aar derives its name from the original farm on which the town later arose. Not long after 1839, the farm De Aar was taken into possession. On the south-eastern side of the present town was a permanent well that provided fresh water for man and beast. The farm De Aar - and consequently also the town - owes its name to this strong water source. In 1881 the railway came to De Aar; it became an important junction, and a small community began to emerge around the station over time. During the Second War of Independence, De Aar was the most important military center in the Cape Colony. In 1902, two brothers Friedlander, who had a shop on the farm, bought De Aar from the owner D. F. Grundlingh for R22 000. On 15 and 16 December 1902, Gebrs. Friedlander auctioned plots for a town. This is also the founding date of the town. The idea was to call it Friedlanderdorp, but nothing came of it, and the name De Aar was preserved. On 20 May 1904 De Aar was declared a municipality, and in 1908 the De Aar area was proclaimed as a magistrate's district with a court of Resident Magistrate. Source: South African Place Name Dictionary P.J. Nienaber