Ferenc (in English: Francis) was born in the family states at the town of Zalaboldogfa located in the county of Zala, in the former Kingdom of Hungary, he descended from the ancient Roman Catholic Hungarian noble family Farkas de Boldogfa (in Hungarian: boldogfai Farkas család).

He was son of Ferenc Farkas de Boldogfa (1779–1844), landowner, judge, and Borbála Joó (1811–1881).

His paternal grandparents were János Farkas de Boldogfa (1741-1788), jurist, lawyer, landowner, Prothonotary of the county of Zala, president of the Supreme court of Zala County (Latin: "Inclyti Sedis Iudiciaria Comitatus Szaladiensis Praeses") and Judit Sümeghy de Lovász et Szentmargitha (1754-1820).

His first cousin was Imre Farkas de Boldogfa (1811–1876), jurist, landowner, chief magistrate of the district of Zalaegerszeg (Hungarian: főszolgabíró), who was the father of József Farkas de Boldogfa (1857–1951), landowner, politician, Member of the Hungarian Parliament.

He was raised according to the thoughts and ideas of the Hungarian Revolution of 1848, as his father was a good friend of Ferenc Deák, and his godfather was Lajos Csillagh de Csáford, the vice-ispán of Zala county during the uprising of 1848.