Show ContentsSherrie History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

The original Gaelic form of Sherrie was Ó Foghladha, derived from the word "foghladha," which means "plunderer." 1

Early Origins of the Sherrie family

The surname Sherrie was first found in Waterford (Irish: Port Láirge), anciently the Deise region, on the South coast of Ireland in the Province of Munster, in southern Ireland where they held a family seat from very ancient times.

Early History of the Sherrie family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Sherrie research. Another 131 words (9 lines of text) covering the years 1131, 1580, 1617, 1624, 1644, 1651, 1655, 1657, 1659, 1673, 1676, 1677, 1694, 1695, 1699, 1702, 1712 and 1733 are included under the topic Early Sherrie History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Sherrie Spelling Variations

Pronunciation, rather than spelling, guided scribes and church officials when recording names during the Middle Ages. This practice often resulted in one person's name being recorded under several different spellings. Numerous spelling variations of the surname Sherrie are preserved in these old documents. The various spellings of the name that were found include Foley, MacSharry, Foaley, Foli, Fooley, Sharry, Sharrie, McSharry, MacSharey, McSharey, Foalie, Foolie, Fowlie and many more.

Early Notables of the Sherrie family

Notable among the family name at this time was Richard Foley (1580-1657), English ironmaster, best known from the folktale of "Fiddler Foley"; Thomas Foley (1617-1677), an English ironmaster and politician who sat in the House of Commons between 1659 and 1677; Robert Foley (1624-1676), of Stourbridge, regarded as the most important ironmaster of his time in the west Midlands; and his son...
Another 61 words (4 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Sherrie Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Sherrie family

A massive amount of Ireland's native population left the island in the 19th century for North America and Australia in hopes of finding more opportunities and an escape from discrimination and oppression. A great portion of these migrants arrived on the eastern shores of the North American continent. Although they were generally poor and destitute, and, therefore, again discriminated against, these Irish people were heartily welcomed for the hard labor involved in the construction of railroads, canals, roadways, and buildings. Many others were put to work in the newly established factories or agricultural projects that were so essential to the development of what would become two of the wealthiest nations in the world. The Great Potato Famine during the late 1840s initiated the largest wave of Iris immigration. Early North American immigration and passenger lists have revealed a number of people bearing the name Sherrie or a variant listed above: Bryan Foley who purchased land in Virginia in 1714; followed by James Foley in 1770; the Foleys also settled in Georgia, Pennsylvania and Massachusetts.


Contemporary Notables of the name Sherrie (post 1700) +

  • Sherrie Swensen, American Democratic Party politician, Delegate to Democratic National Convention from Utah, 2000
  • Sherrie Rollins Westin, American Executive Vice President and Chief Marketing Officer of Sesame Workshop
  • Sherrie L. Matula, American Democratic Party politician, Candidate for Texas State House of Representatives 129th District, 2006, 2008 2
  • Sherrie P. Marshall, American Republican politician, Member, Federal Communications Commission, 1989-93 3


The Sherrie 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: Ut prosim
Motto Translation: That I may be of use.


  1. Smith, Eldson Coles, New Dictionary of American Family Names New York: Harper & Row, 1956. Print
  2. The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, October 7) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html
  3. The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, October 22) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html


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