FREE SHIPPING on orders of $85 or more
An excerpt from www.HouseOfNames.com archives copyright © 2000 - 2015
Origins Available: English, Scottish
Where did the Scottish Forgey family come from? What is the Scottish Forgey family crest and coat of arms? When did the Forgey family first arrive in the United States? Where did the various branches of the family go? What is the Forgey family history?Forgey is one of the names derived from the families of the ancient Dalriadan clans of Scotland. It is derived from the Scottish surname MacFergus, which means "son of Fergus", which is in turn derived from the Gaelic personal name "Fearghus," composed of the elements "fear," meaning "man," and "gus," meaning "vigor" or "force." This Gaelic name was found early in both Ireland and Scotland. The name is a cognate of with the Cymric "Gwr-gwst," Old Bret. "Urorgost" and the Pictish word "Forcus." This last Pictish form of the name is found on a monument at St. Vigeans in Angus as "Fercos."
Spelling in the medieval era was a highly imprecise process. Translation, particularly from Gaelic to English, was little better. For these reasons, early Scottish names are rife with spelling variations. In various documents Forgey has been spelled Fergus, Fergie, Forgie, Forgus, Ferris, Farris and many more.
First found in Galloway (Gaelic: Gall-ghaidhealaibh), an area of southwestern Scotland, now part of the Council Area of Dumfries and Galloway, that formerly consisted of the counties of Wigtown (West Galloway) and Kirkcudbright (East Galloway), Ireland where St. Fergus (Fergustian) (circa 730 AD) was an Irish bishop, who went to Scotland as a missionary. He settled near Strageath and founded three churches in Strogeth and two in Caithness. It is possible that he was the Fergustus Pictus who went to Rome in 721 AD. According to Irish lore, a family of this name descend from Fergus, Prince of Galloway (d. 1161), who is said to have married a daughter of Henry I of England.
This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Forgey research. Another 283 words(20 lines of text) covering the years 1300, 1466, 1499, and 1582 are included under the topic Early Forgey History in all our PDF Extended History products.
More information is included under the topic Early Forgey Notables in all our PDF Extended History products.
Some of the Forgey family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt. Another 168 words(12 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products.
The hardy Scots who made the crossing settled all along the east coast of North America and in the great west that was just then opening up. At the time of the American War of Independence, many United Empire Loyalists moved north from the American colonies to Canada. Scottish national heritage became better known in North America in the 20th century through highland games and other patriotic events. An examination of immigration records and passenger ship lists revealed that people bearing the name Forgey arrived in North America very early:
Forgey Settlers in United States in the 19th Century
The Forgey Family Crest was acquired from the Houseofnames.com archives. The Forgey Family Crest was drawn according to heraldic standards based on published blazons. We generally include the oldest published family crest once associated with each surname.
This page was last modified on 17 November 2013 at 08:17.
houseofnames.com is an internet property owned by Swyrich Corporation.