Show ContentsFotheringham History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

The name Fotheringham has a history dating as far back as the Anglo-Saxon tribes of Britain. It is derived from when the Fotheringham family lived in Fotheringhay, in Northamptonshire having derived from the Old English word "fodring," which meant "grazing." The other portion is the Old English word "eg," which meant "island." The name as a whole meant "island with good grazing land." The suffix was later replaced by “-ham”, meaning “homestead”. That a family assumes the name of the place where they lived is often indicative the degree of power and influence they held in that area.

Early Origins of the Fotheringham family

The surname Fotheringham was first found in Angus (Gaelic: Aonghas), part of the Tayside region of northeastern Scotland, and present day Council Area of Angus, formerly known as Forfar or Forfarshire, seated there since about 1130 A.D. Because of their geographical location, it is highly probable that they are also of Pictish ancestry. The earliest explicit record of the Fotheringham family was in Angus in 1261, when Dominus Robert de Ffodryngay (an ancient form of Fotheringham) was witness to the Maule Charter signed in that year. Other ancestors who held titles were Master Henry of Fottyngham, rector of the church of Taruedal in Ross in 1274, Roger de Foderinggeye, vicar of the church of Kilmor in the county of Ross and Henry de Foddrynghame, sheriff of Perth and Banff in 1358. Other recorded occurrences of the name include Walter de Fodringgeye, who was one of the executors of the will of Dervorgilla, wife of John de Baliol, in 1291, Huwe (or Hugh) de Foderingeye of the county of Perth, who rendered homage to King Edward I of England on his brief conquest of Scotland in 1296, Henry de Foddrynghame who was deputy of the sheriff of Perth in 1358 and is probably the same Henry de Fodrynghay who witnessed a Brechin document in 1364, Robyn of Fodryngame, who was one of the assize on the marches of Woodwrae in 1388, Alexander Forigham, who appears as a witness in Brechin in 1464 and finally Thomas Foddringhame of Poury (a variation on Pourie), who was witness to a charter by John Jardin of Appilgarth in 1476.

Early History of the Fotheringham family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Fotheringham research. Another 104 words (7 lines of text) covering the years 1358 and 1377 are included under the topic Early Fotheringham History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Fotheringham Spelling Variations

Spelling variations of this family name include: Fotheringham, Fothringham, Fothrynghame, Fotringham, Foderingham, Fotheringay and many more.

Early Notables of the Fotheringham family

Distinguished members of the family include

  • William Fotheringhame, Sheriff of Perth


United States Fotheringham migration to the United States +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Fotheringham Settlers in United States in the 18th Century
  • John Fotheringham who settled in South Carolina in 1716
Fotheringham Settlers in United States in the 19th Century
  • W Fotheringham, who arrived in San Francisco, California in 1851 1

Australia Fotheringham migration to Australia +

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

Fotheringham Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century
  • James Fotheringham, who arrived in Adelaide, Australia aboard the ship "Indus" in 1839 2
  • Douglas Fotheringham, aged 27, a herdsman, who arrived in South Australia in 1852 aboard the ship "Charlotte Jane" 3
  • Margaret Fotheringham, aged 21, a domestic servant, who arrived in South Australia in 1859 aboard the ship "North"

New Zealand Fotheringham 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:

Fotheringham Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century
  • Mr. William Fotheringham, British settler travelling from London aboard the ship "John Scott" arriving in Auckland, New Zealand on 7th March 1858 4
  • Mrs. Catherine Fotheringham, British settler travelling from London aboard the ship "John Scott" arriving in Auckland, New Zealand on 7th March 1858 4
  • Miss Jane Fotheringham, Scottish settler travelling from Scotland aboard the ship "Viola" arriving in Port Chalmers, Dunedin, Otago, South Island, New Zealand on 26th July 1866 5
  • Mr. John Fotheringham, (b. 1848), aged 21, British farm labourer travelling from Gravesend aboard the ship "Hydaspes" arriving in Lyttelton, Christchurch, South Island, New Zealand on 30th September 1869 4
  • J. S. Fotheringham, who arrived in Auckland, New Zealand aboard the ship "Timaru" in 1870
  • ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Contemporary Notables of the name Fotheringham (post 1700) +

  • Aaron Fotheringham (b. 1991), American wheelchair athlete
  • David B. Fotheringham, American politician, Mayor of Spokane, Washington, 1891-92 6
  • James Gibb Fotheringham (1933-1977), Scottish football defender
  • Martyn Fotheringham (b. 1983), Scottish football midfielder from Perth, Scotland
  • Mark Fotheringham (b. 1983), Scottish football player from Dundee, Scotland
  • Kevin Fotheringham (b. 1975), Scottish footballer with East Fife
  • Willie Fotheringham, Scottish footballer
  • Allan Fotheringham (1932-2020), nicknamed Dr. Foth, Canadian newspaper and magazine journalist from Hearne, Saskatchewan
  • John Knight Fotheringham FBA (1874-1936), British historian who established the chronology of the Babylonian dynasties, Fellow of the British Academy in 1933
  • Alasdair Fotheringham, British sports journalist for The Independent, The Independent On Sunday and The Guardian
  • ... (Another 2 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

HMS Hood
  • Mr. George Fotheringham (b. 1916), English Marine serving for the Royal Marine from Thorne, Doncaster, Yorkshire, England, who sailed into battle and died in the HMS Hood sinking 7


  1. 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)
  2. State Records of South Australia. (Retrieved 2010, November 5) INDUS 1839. Retrieved from http://www.slsa.sa.gov.au/BSA/1839Indus.htm
  3. South Australian Register Tuesday 3 February 1852. (Retrieved 2010, November 5) CHARLOTTE JANE 1852. Retrieved http://www.theshipslist.com/ships/australia/charlottejane1852.shtml
  4. New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 17th October 2018). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html
  5. New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 26th March 2019). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html
  6. The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, November 4) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html
  7. H.M.S. Hood Association-Battle Cruiser Hood: Crew Information - H.M.S. Hood Rolls of Honour, Men Lost in the Sinking of H.M.S. Hood, 24th May 1941. (Retrieved 2016, July 15) . Retrieved from http://www.hmshood.com/crew/memorial/roh_24may41.htm


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