Ferrel History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
Ireland

The Ferrel surname comes from the Irish Gaelic name Ó Fearghail, which means "a valiant warrior." 1

Early Origins of the Ferrel family

The surname Ferrel was first found in Leinster, where they were found mainly in County Longford.

Feargal, Prince of Annaly appears number 105 on the "Line of Ir" descendants. Ir was the fifth son of Milesius of Spain. This Feargal was slain fighting on the aide of Brian Boru at the Battle of Clontarf in 1014. However, some writers doubt this claim.

From this progenitor, rose O'Farrell Ban, O'Farrell of Rathline, O'Farrell, the Chiefs of Clanhugh, O'Farrell of Mugh Treagha, O'Farrell of Kenagh and O'Farrell, Chiefs of Clanawley. 1

Early History of the Ferrel family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Ferrel research. Another 185 words (13 lines of text) covering the years 1235, 1248 and 1659 are included under the topic Early Ferrel History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Ferrel Spelling Variations

Names during the Middle Ages were often recorded under several different spelling variations during the life of their bearers. Literacy was rare at that time and so how a person's name was recorded was decided by the individual scribe. Variations of the name Ferrel include Ferrell, Farrell, O'Ferrall, O'Farrell, Farrelly, Fraleigh, Frawley, Frahill and many more.

Early Notables of the Ferrel family

Notable amongst the family name at this time was

Jean François Ferrel, a musician in Paris about the middle of the 17th century, wrote a small pamphlet 'A savoir que les maistres de dance, qui sont de vrays maistres larrons à l'endroit des violons d...
Ferrel, praticien de musique a Paris, natif de l'Anjou' (Paris, 1659)2...

Ferrel Ranking

In the United States, the name Ferrel is the 10,086^th most popular surname with an estimated 2,487 people with that name. 3

Ferrel migration to the United States +

Many destitute Irish families in the 18th and 19th centuries decided to leave their homeland, which had in many ways been scarred by English colonial rule. One of the most frequent destinations for these families was North America where it was possible for an Irish family to own their own parcel of land. Many of the early settlers did find land awaiting them in British North America, or even later in America, but for the majority of immigrants that arrived as a result of the Great Potato Famine of the late 1840s the ownership of land was often a long way off. These Irish people were initially put to work on such industrial projects as the building of bridges, canals, and railroads, or they worked at manufacturing positions within factories. Whenever they arrived, the Irish made enormous contributions to the infant nations of Canada and the United States. Some of the earliest immigrants to bearer the name of Ferrel were found through extensive research of immigration and passenger lists:

Ferrel Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

P Ferrel, aged 27, who landed in America in 1821 4
Luis Ferrel, who arrived in Guatemala in 1838 4
Gabriel Ferrel, aged 50, who landed in New Orleans, La in 1855 4

Contemporary Notables of the name Ferrel (post 1700) +

William Ferrel (1817-1891), American meteorologist
Walter Ferrel, American politician, Member of California State Assembly 21st District, 1875-77
Leonardo Ferrel (b. 1924), Bolivian football midfielder

The Ferrel Motto +

The motto was originally a war cry or slogan. Mottoes first began to be shown with arms in the 14th and 15th centuries, but were not in general use until the 17th century. Thus the oldest coats of arms generally do not include a motto. Mottoes seldom form part of the grant of arms: Under most heraldic authorities, a motto is an optional component of the coat of arms, and can be added to or changed at will; many families have chosen not to display a motto.

Motto: Cu reabtha
Motto Translation: The rampaging dog.

Citations +

O'Hart, John, Irish Pedigrees 5th Edition in 2 Volumes. Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing Company, 1976. Print. (ISBN 0-8063-0737-4)
Grove, Sir George, A Dictionary of Music and Musicians (AD. 1450-1889) London: Macmillan1902, Print, 2 Vols
"What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
Filby, P. William, Meyer, Mary K., Passenger and immigration lists index : a guide to published arrival records of about 500,000 passengers who came to the United States and Canada in the seventeenth, eighteenth, and nineteenth centuries. 1982-1985 Cumulated Supplements in Four Volumes Detroit, Mich. : Gale Research Co., 1985, Print (ISBN 0-8103-1795-8)