Contents [hide]

Furlong History Early Origins Early History Spelling Variations Early Notables Ranking

United States Canada Australia New Zealand

Contemporary Notables Historic Events Related Stories Motto Suggested Reading Citations

Furlong History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
Ireland
England

The Irish already had a system for creating hereditary surnames established when the followers of Strongbow settled in eastern Ireland. Although there was relatively little friction between the two systems because they operated according to very similar principles, the Strongbownians frequently used local surnames. In Ireland, local surnames were almost unheard of, but in England they were probably the most common form of hereditary surname. Local surnames, such as Furlong, were taken from the name of a place or a geographical feature where the person lived, held land, or was born. The surname Furlong is derived from living near a field. The surname Furlong is derived from the Old English word furlong, which denoted the length of a field. This word was comprised of the Old English words "furh," which means "furrow," and "lang," which means "long." A furlong was the technical name for a block of strips owned by several different people which constituted the unit of cultivation in the medieval open-held system of agriculture.

Early Origins of the Furlong family

The surname Furlong was first found in Dorset, where they held a family seat from very early times.

Early History of the Furlong family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Furlong research. Another 116 words (8 lines of text) covering the year 1242 is included under the topic Early Furlong History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Furlong Spelling Variations

Names were simply spelled as they sounded by medieval scribes and church officials. Therefore, during the lifetime of a single person, his name was often spelt in many different ways, explaining the many spelling variations encountered while researching the name Furlong. Some of these variations included: Furlong, Furlang and others.

Early Notables of the Furlong family

Notable amongst the family up to this time was

Furlong of Dorset

Furlong Ranking

In the United States, the name Furlong is the 4,780^th most popular surname with an estimated 4,974 people with that name. 1 However, in Newfoundland, Canada, the name Furlong is ranked the 232^nd most popular surname with an estimated 190 people with that name. 2

Furlong migration to the United States +

The Irish emigration during the late 18th and 19th century contributed to the melting pot of nationalities in North America, and the building of a whole new era of industry and commerce in what was seen as a rich, new land. Ireland'sGreat Potato Famine resulted in the worst economic and social conditions in the island's history. And in response to the hunger, disease, and poverty, during this decade the total number of emigrants to leave for North America rivaled all the previous years combined. Those from this decade that arrived on North American shores were not warmly welcomed by the established population, but they were vital to the rapid development of the industry, agriculture, and infrastructure of the infant nations of the United States and what would become Canada. Research into early immigration and passenger lists has shown many people bearing the name Furlong:

Furlong Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

Edmond Furlong, who landed in Maryland in 1663 3

Furlong Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

James Furlong, who landed in Boston, Massachusetts in 1764 3
Daniel Furlong purchased land in Philadelphia in 1774
Thomas Furlong, who settled in Maryland in 1775
John Furlong, who arrived in America in 1797 3

Furlong Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Mathew Furlong, who landed in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1816 3
Philip Furlong, who landed in New York, NY in 1817 3
William Furlong, who landed in New York, NY in 1817 3
Paul Furlong, who landed in New York, NY in 1825 3
Edward Furlong, who arrived in Iowa in 1842 3
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Furlong migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Furlong Settlers in Canada in the 18th Century

J. Furlong, who settled in St. John's, Newfoundland in 1706 4
Patrick Furlong, who landed in Halifax, Nova Scotia in 1749
John Furlong, who landed in Nova Scotia in 1750
Mary Furlong, who arrived in Nova Scotia in 1750
Patrick Furlong, who arrived in Nova Scotia in 1750
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Furlong Settlers in Canada in the 19th Century

John Furlong in Harbour Grace, Newfoundland in 1806 4
Richard Furlong in Cape Broyle, Newfoundland in 1813 4
Flimbeth Furlong, who arrived in Nova Scotia in 1833
James Furlong, who arrived in Nova Scotia in 1837
James Furlong, who landed in Halifax, Nova Scotia in 1843
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Furlong migration to Australia +

Emigration to Australia followed the First Fleets of convicts, tradespeople and early settlers. Early immigrants include:

Furlong Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

William Furlong, English convict from Staffordshire, who was transported aboard the "Albion" on September 21, 1826, settling in New South Wales, Australia 5
Mr. William Furlong, English convict who was convicted in Kent, England for life, transported aboard the "Eliza" on 25th June 1828, arriving in New South Wales, Australia 6
Mr. Joseph Furlong, (b. 1827), aged 17, Irish labourer who was convicted in Ireland for 7 years for larceny, transported aboard the "Cadet" on 9th April 1844, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land) 7
Sarah Furlong, aged 25, a domestic servant, who arrived in South Australia in 1860 aboard the ship "Grand Trianon"

Furlong migration to New Zealand +

Emigration to New Zealand followed in the footsteps of the European explorers, such as Captain Cook (1769-70): first came sealers, whalers, missionaries, and traders. By 1838, the British New Zealand Company had begun buying land from the Maori tribes, and selling it to settlers, and, after the Treaty of Waitangi in 1840, many British families set out on the arduous six month journey from Britain to Aotearoa to start a new life. Early immigrants include:

Furlong Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century

Martin Furlong, who arrived in Auckland, New Zealand aboard the ship "Alfred" in 1864 8
Ellen Furlong, who arrived in Auckland, New Zealand aboard the ship "Alfred" in 1864 8
Miss Julia Furlong, (b. 1832), aged 32, British domestic servant travelling from Gravesend aboard the ship "Indian Empire" arriving in Lyttelton, Christchurch, South Island, New Zealand on 24th March 1864 9

Contemporary Notables of the name Furlong (post 1700) +

John Furlong (1933-2008), American actor
First Lieutenant Harold Arthur Furlong (1895-1987), United States Army officer and a recipient of the Medal of Honor
Robert Grant Furlong (1886-1973), American Democratic member of the U.S. House of Representatives from 1943 to 1945
Edward Walter Furlong (b. 1977), Saturn Award-winning American actor
Charles Wellington Furlong (1874-1967), American explorer, writer, artist and photographer
Noel "J. J." Furlong (1937-2021), Irish businessman and poker player who won the 1999 World Series of Poker main event
Thomas Furlong (1794-1827), Irish poet, son of a farmer, born in 1794 at Scarawalsh, situated between Ferns and Enniscorthy, co. Wexford 10
Neville Furlong (1968-2017), Irish rugby union international player
Nicholas Furlong (b. 1929), Irish farmer, journalist, author and historian
June Furlong (1930-2020), English model at the Liverpool College of Art and Design, Slade School of Fine Art and the Royal College of Art for 50 years
... (Another 6 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Historic Events for the Furlong family +

HMS Repulse

Mr. James Furlong, British Stoker 1st Class, who sailed into battle on the HMS Repulse (1941) and survived the sinking 11

HMS Royal Oak

John Furlong (d. 1939), Irish Telegraphist with the Royal Navy aboard the HMS Royal Oak (1939) when she was torpedoed by U-47 and sunk; he died in the sinking 12

The Furlong 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: Liberalitas
Motto Translation: Liberty

Citations +

"What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
The order of Common Surnames in 1955 in Newfoundland retrieved on 20th October 2021 (retrieved from Family Names of the Island of Newfoundland by E.R. Seary corrected edition ISBN 0-7735-1782-0)
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)
Seary E.R., Family Names of the Island of Newfoundland, Montreal: McGill's-Queen's Universtity Press 1998 ISBN 0-7735-1782-0
State Library of Queensland. (Retrieved 2016, October 27) Albion voyage to New South Wales, Australia in 1826 with 192 passengers. Retrieved from http://www.convictrecords.com.au/ships/albion/1826
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 17th February 2022). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/eliza
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 17th November 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/cadet/
Archives New Zealand Micro 5019. (Retrieved 2010, November 5) Alfred. Retrieved from http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~ourstuff/Alfred1864.htm
New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 17th October 2018). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html
Wikisource contributors. "Dictionary of National Biography, 1885-1900." Wikisource . Wikisource , 4 Jun. 2018. Web. 30 June 2020
HMS Repulse Crew members. (Retrieved 2014, April 9) . Retrieved from http://www.forcez-survivors.org.uk/biographies/listrepulsecrew.html
Ships hit by U-boats crew list HMS Royal Oak (08) - (Retrieved 2018 February, 9th) - retrieved from https://uboat.net/allies/merchants/crews/ship68.html