Gilfoy History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
Ireland

The spelling and overall form of Irish names often vary considerably. The original Gaelic form of the name Gilfoy is Mac Giolla Phoil, denoting the descendant of a follower of St. Paul.

Early Origins of the Gilfoy family

The surname Gilfoy was first found in County Offaly (Irish: Uíbh Fháilí) originally the Kingdom of Uí Failghe, located in central Ireland in the Province of Leinster, where they held a family seat from very ancient times.

Early History of the Gilfoy family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Gilfoy research. Another 56 words (4 lines of text) covering the year 1576 is included under the topic Early Gilfoy History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Gilfoy Spelling Variations

Numerous spelling variations of the surname Gilfoy exist. A partial explanation for these variants is that ancient scribes and church officials recorded names as they were pronounced, often resulting in a single person being recorded under several different spellings. Different spellings that were found include Gilfoyle, MacGilfoyle, MacIlfoyle, Guilfoyle and many more.

Early Notables of the Gilfoy family

Notable amongst the family name at this time was

Gilfoyle of County Offaly

Gilfoy 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 Gilfoy were found through extensive research of immigration and passenger lists:

Gilfoy Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

John Gilfoy, who landed in Allegany (Allegheny) County, Pennsylvania in 1873 1

Gilfoy migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Gilfoy Settlers in Canada in the 19th Century

Patrick Gilfoy, who arrived in Nova Scotia in 1828
Alice Gilfoy, who arrived in Nova Scotia in 1829

Citations +

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)