Ferral History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
Ireland

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

Early Origins of the Ferral family

The surname Ferral 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 Ferral family

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

Ferral Spelling Variations

Names written in official documents were generally spelt as they sounded, leading to the problem of one name being recorded under several different variations, creating the illusion in records of more than one person. Among the many spelling variations of the surname Ferral that are preserved in documents of the family history are Ferrell, Farrell, O'Ferrall, O'Farrell, Farrelly, Fraleigh, Frawley, Frahill and many more.

Early Notables of the Ferral 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...
Another 41 words (3 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Ferral Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Ferral migration to the United States +

Irish families began to immigrate to British North America and the United States in the 18th century, but the greatest influx of Irish immigrants came during the Great Potato Famine of the late 1840s. The earlier settlers came to North America after a great deal of consideration and by paying relatively high fees for their passage. These settlers were primarily drawn by the promise of land. Those later settlers that came during the 1840's were trying to escape the conditions of poverty, starvation, disease, and death that had stricken Ireland. Due to the enormity of their numbers and the late date of their arrival, these immigrants primarily became hired laborers instead of homesteading settlers like their predecessors. An exhaustive search of immigration and passenger lists has revealed many Irish immigrants North America bearing the name Ferral:

Ferral Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Joseph Ferral, aged 16, who landed in New York in 1834 2

Contemporary Notables of the name Ferral (post 1700) +

Major-General John Ferral McBlain (1900-1967), American Deputy Director of the Secretary of the Air Force Personnel Council (1953) 3
Ferral C. Dinniny, American politician, Member of New York State Assembly from Steuben County 2nd District, 1850 4

The Ferral 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)
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)
Generals of World War II. (Retrieved 2013, February 12) John McBlain. Retrieved from http://generals.dk/general/McBlain/John_Ferral/USA.html
The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, December 11) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html