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Fahy History Early Origins Early History Spelling Variations Early Notables Ranking

United States Canada Australia New Zealand

Contemporary Notables Related Stories Motto Citations

Fahy History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
Ireland

The Irish name Fahy has a long Gaelic heritage to its credit. The original Gaelic form of the name Fahy is Ó Fathaigh, derived from the word "fothadh," meaning "foundation." 1

Early Origins of the Fahy family

The surname Fahy was first found in Galway (Irish: Gaillimh) part of the province of Connacht, located on the west coast of the Island, where they held a family seat from very ancient times.

Early History of the Fahy family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Fahy research. Another 55 words (4 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Fahy History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Fahy Spelling Variations

Within the archives researched, many different spelling variations of the surname Fahy were found. These included One reason for the many variations is that scribes and church officials often spelled an individual's name as it sounded. This imprecise method often led to many versions. Fahey, Fahie, Fahy, Fay, O'Fahey, O'Fahy, Vahey and many more.

Early Notables of the Fahy family

Notable amongst the family name at this time was

Francis Fahy, author of "The Ould Plaid Shawl...

Fahy Ranking

In the United States, the name Fahy is the 10,771^st most popular surname with an estimated 2,487 people with that name. 2

Fahy migration to the United States +

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 Fahy or a variant listed above:

Fahy Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Philip Fahy, who arrived in America in 1803 3
Peter Fahy, who landed in America in 1811 3
Andrew Fahy, who landed in New York, NY in 1816 3
John Fahy, aged 13, who landed in New York in 1854 3
Michael Fahy, aged 30, who landed in New York in 1854 3
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Fahy migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Fahy Settlers in Canada in the 19th Century

Thomas Fahy, who landed in Nova Scotia in 1828
James Fahy, aged 27, a labourer, who arrived in Saint John, New Brunswick in 1833 aboard the ship "Ward" from Limerick, Ireland
Nancy Fahy, aged 22, who arrived in Saint John, New Brunswick in 1833 aboard the ship "Ward" from Limerick, Ireland
Michael Fahy, aged 20, a yeoman, who arrived in Saint John, New Brunswick in 1833 aboard the ship "Elizabeth" from Galway, Ireland
Simon Fahy, aged 26, a labourer, who arrived in Saint John, New Brunswick in 1834 aboard the brig "Trafalgar" from Galway, Ireland
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Fahy migration to Australia +

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

Fahy Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

Ann Fahy, who arrived in Adelaide, Australia aboard the ship "Birman" in 1840 4
James Fahy, who arrived in Adelaide, Australia aboard the ship "Birman" in 1840 4
Mr. Thomas Fahy, Irish convict who was convicted in Ireland, transported aboard the "Cadet" on 9th April 1844, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land) 5
Mary Fahy, aged 36, a farm servant, who arrived in South Australia in 1852 aboard the ship "Phoebe Dunbar" 6
Catherine Fahy, aged 24, a servant, who arrived in South Australia in 1854 aboard the ship "Sir Edward Parry" 7
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Fahy 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:

Fahy Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century

Mr. Patrick Fahy, (b. 1833), aged 29, British shepherd travelling from London aboard the ship "Echunga" arriving in Lyttelton, Canterbury, New Zealand on 24th December 1862 8
Mrs. Bridget Fahy, (b. 1835), aged 27, British settler travelling from London aboard the ship "Echunga" arriving in Lyttelton, Canterbury, New Zealand on 24th December 1862 8
Miss Mary Fahy, (b. 1861), aged 1, British settler travelling from London aboard the ship "Echunga" arriving in Lyttelton, Canterbury, New Zealand on 24th December 1862 8
Mr. Mark Fahy, Scottish settler travelling from Glasgow aboard the ship "Storm Cloud" arriving in Bluff, Southland, South Island, New Zealand on 8th December 1862 9
Mrs. Fahy, Scottish settler travelling from Glasgow aboard the ship "Storm Cloud" arriving in Bluff, Southland, South Island, New Zealand on 8th December 1862 9
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Contemporary Notables of the name Fahy (post 1700) +

John Fahy (b. 1971), prominent American script doctor and motion picture editor
Meghann Fahy (b. 1990), American actress and singer
Jack Bradley Fahy (1908-1947), American government official
Gregory M. Fahy, American cryobiologist and biogerontologist
Charles Fahy (1892-1979), American Solicitor General of the United States
James J. Fahy, American Democratic Party politician, Candidate for New York State Senate 17th District, 1946 10
Charles Fahy (1892-1979), American politician, U.S. Solicitor General, 1941-45 Judge of U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit, 1949-67 10
James "Jim" Fahy (1946-2022), Irish journalist broadcaster, journalist and documentary-maker
Michael "Stroke" Fahy (1940-2019), Irish farmer, and a Fianna Fáil and independent member of Galway County Council
John Fahy (1893-1969), Irish priest, republican, agrarian and radical
... (Another 9 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

The Fahy 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: Esperance
Motto Translation: Hope.

Citations +

MacLysaght, Edward, The Surnames of Ireland. Ireland: Irish Academic Press, sixth edition, 1985. Print. (ISBN 0-7165-2366-3)
"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)
State Records of South Australia. (Retrieved 2010, November 5) BIRMAN 1840. Retrieved from http://www.slsa.sa.gov.au/BSA/1840Birman.htm
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 17th November 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/cadet/
South Australian Register Tuesday 3 February 1852. (Retrieved 2010, November 5) PHOEBE DUNBAR 1852. Retrieved http://www.theshipslist.com/ships/australia/phoebedunbar1852.shtml
South Australian Register Monday 27th March 1854. (Retrieved 2010, November 5) Sir Edward Parry 1854. Retrieved http://www.theshipslist.com/ships/australia/siredwardparry1854.shtml
New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 17th October 2018). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html
New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 26th March 2019). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html
The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2016, March 16) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html