Forghan History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
Ireland

Hundreds of years ago, the Gaelic name used by the Forghan family in Ireland was Ó Fuarain or in some records Ó Furanain.

Early Origins of the Forghan family

The surname Forghan was first found in Connacht (Irish: Connachta, (land of the) descendants of Conn), where they were firstly known as Macgiollarnath or Mac Gilla na Naomh, meaning 'son of the devotee of the saints', which, through mistranslation and time emerged as an off-shoot of the main Clan through a chieftain O'Fuarthain or O'Fuarain, which, in English, became Forghan.

Early History of the Forghan family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Forghan research. Another 142 words (10 lines of text) covering the years 1172, 1355 and 1816 are included under the topic Early Forghan History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Forghan Spelling Variations

Names from the Middle Ages demonstrate many spelling variations. This is because the recording scribe or church official often decided as to how a person's name was spelt and in what language. Research into the name Forghan revealed many variations, including Foran, Forhane, Forahan, Forhan, Foreham and many more.

Early Notables of the Forghan family

More information is included under the topic Early Forghan Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Forghan family

To escape the religious and political discrimination they experienced primarily at the hands of the English, thousands of Irish left their homeland in the 19th century. These migrants typically settled in communities throughout the East Coast of North America, but also joined the wagon trains moving out to the Midwest. Ironically, when the American War of Independence began, many Irish settlers took the side of England, and at the war's conclusion moved north to Canada. These United Empire Loyalists, were granted land along the St. Lawrence River and the Niagara Peninsula. Other Irish immigrants settled in Newfoundland, the Ottawa Valley, New Brunswick and Nova Scotia. The greatest influx of Irish immigrants, however, came to North America during the Great Potato Famine of the late 1840s. Thousands left Ireland at this time for North America and Australia. Many of those numbers, however, did not live through the long sea passage. These Irish settlers to North America were immediately put to work building railroads, coal mines, bridges, and canals. Irish settlers made an inestimable contribution to the building of the New World. Early North American immigration records have revealed a number of people bearing the Irish name Forghan or a variant listed above, including: Jno Forehead, who came to Virginia in 1653; Gillian Forehand, who arrived in Maryland in 1671; John Foran who settled in New York State in 1804;Patrick Forehan was a merchant in St. John's, Newfoundland in 1770.

The Forghan 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: Lucrum Christi mihi
Motto Translation: Without Christ, there is no light.