Fourehan History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
Ireland

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

Early Origins of the Fourehan family

The surname Fourehan 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 Fourehan.

Early History of the Fourehan family

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

Fourehan Spelling Variations

People who were accounted for by scribes and church officials often had their name recorded many different ways because pronunciation was the only guide those scribes and church officials had to go by. This resulted in the problem of one person's name being recorded under several different variations, creating the illusion of more than one person. Among the many spelling variations of the surname Fourehan that are preserved in archival documents are Foran, Forhane, Forahan, Forhan, Foreham and many more.

Early Notables of the Fourehan family

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

Migration of the Fourehan family

A great mass of Ireland's native population left the island in the 19th century, seeking relief from various forms of social, religious, and economic discrimination. This Irish exodus was primarily to North America. If the migrants survived the long ocean journey, many unfortunately would find more discrimination in the colonies of British North America and the fledgling United States of America. These newly arrived Irish were, however, wanted as a cheap source of labor for the many large agricultural and industrial projects that were essential to the development of what would become two of the wealthiest nations in the western world. Early immigration and passenger lists indicate many people bearing the Fourehan name: 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 Fourehan 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.