Contents [hide]

Forsey History Early Origins Early History Spelling Variations Early Notables Ranking

Contemporary Notables Historic Events Related Stories Motto Citations

Forsey History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
Scotland
Ireland

The chronicle of the name Forsey begins with a family in the Pictish clans of ancient Scotland. The name is derived from the old Gaelic personal name Fearsithe, which means man of peace. 1

However, some recorded examples of the surname Forsey suggest that it is occasionally a local name derived from residence a place named Forsythe.

There appears to be two origins for the family: Stirlingshire and Edinburghshire. 1 Another source claims the family came from "Forcett (whence also Fawcett) a township in the wapentake of Gillingwest, in the [North Riding] of Yorkshire," 2 but this source's claim is doubtful.

Early Origins of the Forsey family

The surname Forsey was first found in Stirlingshire, where "Osbert filius Forsyth [who] had charter of a hundred shilling land in the tenement of Salakhill (now Sauchie), sheriffdom of Stirling, from Robert I c. 1308." 3

The Edinburghshire's first entry was that of "William de Fersith, bailie of Edinburgh, 1365, [who] may be William of Forsythe, servant of Aleyn of Bollone of Edinburgh, merchant of Scotland, 1394." 3

Early History of the Forsey family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Forsey research. Another 278 words (20 lines of text) covering the years 1364, 1368, 1402, 1405, 1418, 1420, 1423, 1424, 1426, 1428, 1439, 1446, 1451, 1452, 1461, 1471, 1487, 1497, 1498, 1504, 1512, 1525, 1621, 1890, 1929 and 1980 are included under the topic Early Forsey History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Forsey Spelling Variations

When the first dictionaries were invented in the last few hundred years, spelling gradually became standardized. Before that time, scribes spelled according to sound. Names were often recorded under different spelling variations every time they were written. Forsey has been written Forsyth, Forsythe, Forseyth, Forsy, Foursides and others.

Early Notables of the Forsey family

Notable amongst the Clan at this time was William de Fersith, who participated at an inquest in Edinbergh, 1402. He may be William Fersith (without 'de'), who was burgess of Edinbergh in 1423.Thomas of Forsythe was listed in Edinburgh, 1439. Robert of Forsythe had a safe conduct in England...
Another 49 words (4 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Forsey Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Forsey Ranking

In Newfoundland, Canada, the name Forsey is the 435^th most popular surname with an estimated 107 people with that name. 4

Migration of the Forsey family to Ireland

Some of the Forsey family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 76 words (5 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Forsey migration to the United States +

The crossing to North America did not seem so great in comparison with the hardships many Scots endured at home. It was long, expensive, and cramped, but also rewarding. North America offered land and the chance for settlers to prove themselves in a new place. And many did prove themselves as they fought to forge a new nation in the American War of Independence. The ancestors of those Scots can now experience much of their once-lost heritage through the Clan societies and highland games that have sprung up across North America in the last century. A search of immigration and passenger lists revealed many important, early immigrants to North America bearing the name of Forsey:

Forsey Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

Jeremiah Forsey, who settled in Maryland in 1658
Jeremiah Forsey, who arrived in Maryland in 1674 5

Forsey Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Michael Forsey, who was naturalized in Iowa in 1868

Forsey 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:

Forsey Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century

Mr. James Forsey, British settler arriving as Detachment of the Royal New Zealand Fencibles travelling from Gravesend aboard the ship "Sir George Symour" arriving in Auckland, New Zealand on 26th November 1847 6
Mrs. Harriet Forsey, British settler travelling from Gravesend aboard the ship "Sir George Symour" arriving in Auckland, New Zealand on 26th November 1847 6

Contemporary Notables of the name Forsey (post 1700) +

Brock L. Forsey (b. 1980), former American NFL football running back who played from 2003 to 2005
Keith Forsey (b. 1948), English Academy Award and Golden Globe Award winning soundtrack composer, drummer, songwriter and record producer, perhaps best known for co-writing "Flashdance... What a Feeling" and for co-writing "Don't You (Forget About Me)", from The Breakfast Club
Herbert Jack Forsey (1913-1998), Canadian NHL ice hockey player for the Toronto Maple Leafs (1942-1943)
Stephen Forsey, co-founder of Greubel Forsey, a high-end watchmaking company in Switzerland in 2004
Eugene Alfred Forsey PC CC FRSC (1904-1991), Newfoundland-born, Canadian Senator for Nepean, Ontario (1970-1979)
Clayton Forsey MHA (b. 1953), Canadian politician, Member of the Newfoundland and Labrador House of Assembly for Exploits (2005-)

Historic Events for the Forsey family +

HMS Royal Oak

William J. Forsey, British Leading Signalman with the Royal Navy aboard the HMS Royal Oak (1939) when she was torpedoed by U-47 and sunk; he survived the sinking 7
Horace Stamp Forsey (1921-1939), British Seaman with the Royal Navy aboard the HMS Royal Oak (1939) when she was torpedoed by U-47 and sunk; he died in the sinking 7

The Forsey 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: Instaurator ruinae
Motto Translation: A repairer of ruin.

Citations +

Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)
Lower, Mark Anthony, Patronymica Britannica, A Dictionary of Family Names of the United Kingdom. London: John Russel Smith, 1860. Print.
Black, George F., The Surnames of Scotland Their Origin, Meaning and History. New York: New York Public Library, 1946. Print. (ISBN 0-87104-172-3)
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)
New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 26th March 2019). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.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