Ferrill History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
Ireland

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

Early Origins of the Ferrill family

The surname Ferrill 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 Ferrill family

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

Ferrill Spelling Variations

Because early scribes and church officials often spelled names as they sounded, a person could have many various spellings of his name.Many different spelling variations of the surname Ferrill were found in the archives researched. These included Ferrell, Farrell, O'Ferrall, O'Farrell, Farrelly, Fraleigh, Frawley, Frahill and many more.

Early Notables of the Ferrill 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 Ferrill Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Ferrill Ranking

In the United States, the name Ferrill is the 18,716^th most popular surname with an estimated 2,487 people with that name. 2

Ferrill migration to the United States +

A massive wave of Irish immigrants hit North America during the 19th century. Although many early Irish immigrants made a carefully planned decision to leave left Ireland for the promise of free land, by the 1840s immigrants were fleeing a famine stricken land in desperation. The condition of Ireland during the Great Potato Famine of the late 1840s can be attributed to a rapidly expanding population and English imperial policies. Those Irish families that arrived in North America were essential to its rapid social, industrial, and economic development. Passenger and immigration lists have revealed a number of early Irish immigrants bearing the name Ferrill:

Ferrill Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

Alexander Ferrill, who arrived in Maryland in 1668 3

Ferrill Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

Garret Ferrill, who landed in Virginia in 1723 3

Ferrill Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Thomas Ferrill, who arrived in New York in 1826 3

Contemporary Notables of the name Ferrill (post 1700) +

London Ferrill (1789-1854), American former slave who became the second preacher of the First African Baptist Church in Lexington, Kentucky
Arther Ferrill, American professor emeritus of history at the University of Washington at Seattle

The Ferrill 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)
"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)