Furguson History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
Scotland
Ireland
England

The Furguson family comes from the ancient Scottish Dalriadan clans of the mountainous west coast of Scotland. The name Furguson is derived from the Scottish surname MacFergus, which means "son of Fergus".

Early Origins of the Furguson family

The surname Furguson was first found in Galloway (Gaelic: Gall-ghaidhealaibh), an area of southwestern Scotland, now part of the Council Area of Dumfries and Galloway, that formerly consisted of the counties of Wigtown (West Galloway) and Kirkcudbright (East Galloway), where they were descended from the Prince of Galloway who married the daughter of Henry I of England. These ancient Lords of Galloway were independent rulers until they were annexed by Scotland in 1234. Alan, Prince of Galloway, was the last of the line. The Craigdarroch branch was the oldest but they also had branches at Cowal, Kintyre, Kilkerran, Atholl, Kinmundy, Pitfour.

The Ayrshire Fergusons, who descended from Fergus, the independent 12th century Lord of Galloway, were established in the Southwest of Scotland even before they received their charter from Bruce, the King of Scotland, in the 13th century. Furthermore, numerous families of the name Ferguson were established throughout Scotland at an early date. In Argyll, where the Ferguson Clan is particularly numerous, the Fergusons held lands in Strachur until the beginning of the 19th century. The Fergussons of Perthshire were recognized as the principal Highland branch of the Clan and the chieftainship belonged to the Dunfallandy family, the head of which was designated "MacFhearghuis."

Early History of the Furguson family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Furguson research. Another 121 words (9 lines of text) covering the years 1621, 1637, 1667, 1672, 1699, 1705, 1714, 1715, 1723, 1734, 1745, 1816 and 1890 are included under the topic Early Furguson History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Furguson Spelling Variations

Spelling variations were extremely common in medieval names, since scribes from that era recorded names according to sound rather than a standard set of rules. Furguson has appeared in various documents spelled Ferguson, Fergusson, Farguson, Fargerson, Fargusson and many more.

Early Notables of the Furguson family

Notable amongst the Clan from early times was James Ferguson (1621-1667), a Scottish minister; William Ferguson (d. 1699) of Badifurrow, Aberdeenshire, Scotland; and his son, James Ferguson (died 1705), of Balmakelly and Kirtonhill, Kincardineshire, a Scottish major-general, colonel of the...
Another 39 words (3 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Furguson Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Furguson Ranking

In the United States, the name Furguson is the 17,345^th most popular surname with an estimated 2,487 people with that name. 1

Migration of the Furguson family to Ireland

Some of the Furguson family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 60 words (4 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Furguson migration to the United States +

Dalriadan families proliferated in North America. Their descendants still populate many communities in the eastern parts of both the United States and Canada. Some settled in Canada as United Empire Loyalists, in the wake of the American War of Independence. Families on both sides of the border have recovered much of their heritage in the 20th century through Clan societies and highland games. Analysis of immigration records indicates that some of the first North American immigrants bore the name Furguson or a variant listed above:

Furguson Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

John Furguson, aged 35, who landed in Tennessee in 1812 2
Robert Furguson, aged 45, who arrived in Tennessee in 1812 2
Mr. Furguson, who landed in Mobile, Ala in 1822 2
Warrick Furguson, who landed in Texas in 1835 2
Arm Furguson, aged 19, who arrived in New York in 1849 2
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

The Furguson 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: Dulcius ex asperis
Motto Translation: Sweeter after difficulties

Citations +

"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)