Fairfield West is located 33 kilometers west of the Sydney central business district; it is in the local government area of the City of Fairfield and is part of the Greater Western Sydney region. Fairfield West shares its 2165 postcode with the separate suburbs of Fairfield East, Fairfield Heights and Fairfield.
Fairfield West was named after neighbouring suburb Fairfield, which in turn was named after Fairfield in England, the family home of Captain John Horsley. The area of Fairfield West was home to the Cabrogal tribe. When the railway station was built in 1856 in nearby Fairfield it lead to a population growth around the station which eventually led to the area known as Fairfield West being subdivided for housing in the 1870′s. At the time it was a small village but eventually a post office, school and sports ground was built in the area. Timber cutting became the local industry with the sawmills bringing business into the area.