Show ContentsFurlow History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

The Irish already had a system for creating hereditary surnames established when the followers of Strongbow settled in eastern Ireland. Although there was relatively little friction between the two systems because they operated according to very similar principles, the Strongbownians frequently used local surnames. In Ireland, local surnames were almost unheard of, but in England they were probably the most common form of hereditary surname. Local surnames, such as Furlow, were taken from the name of a place or a geographical feature where the person lived, held land, or was born. The surname Furlow is derived from living near a field. The surname Furlow is derived from the Old English word furlong, which denoted the length of a field. This word was comprised of the Old English words "furh," which means "furrow," and "lang," which means "long." A furlong was the technical name for a block of strips owned by several different people which constituted the unit of cultivation in the medieval open-held system of agriculture.

Early Origins of the Furlow family

The surname Furlow was first found in Dorset, where they held a family seat from very early times.

Early History of the Furlow family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Furlow research. Another 116 words (8 lines of text) covering the year 1242 is included under the topic Early Furlow History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Furlow Spelling Variations

Church officials and medieval scribes often simply spelled names as they sounded. As a result, a single person's name may have been recorded a dozen different ways during his lifetime. Spelling variations for the name Furlow include: Furlong, Furlang and others.

Early Notables of the Furlow family

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

Furlow Ranking

In the United States, the name Furlow is the 10,914th most popular surname with an estimated 2,487 people with that name. [1]


United States Furlow migration to the United States +

In the 1840s, Ireland experienced a mass exodus to North America due to the Great Potato Famine. These families wanted to escape from hunger and disease that was ravaging their homeland. With the promise of work, freedom and land overseas, the Irish looked upon British North America and the United States as a means of hope and prosperity. Those that survived the journey were able to achieve this through much hard work and perseverance. Early immigration and passenger lists revealed many bearing the name Furlow:

Furlow Settlers in United States in the 20th Century
  • Loyd Furlow, aged 32, who immigrated to the United States, in 1908
  • Nell Furlow, aged 28, who immigrated to America, in 1908
  • Martin Furlow, aged 39, who landed in America, in 1910
  • Nell J. Furlow, aged 39, who arrived at New York City, in 1921
  • Floyd Chas. Furlow, aged 45, who settled in America from N.Y. City, N.Y., in 1922
  • ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Australia Furlow migration to Australia +

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

Furlow Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century
  • Mr. John Furlow, Scottish convict who was convicted in Ayr, Scotland for 7 years, transported aboard the "Commodore Hayes" in April 1823, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land) [2]

Contemporary Notables of the name Furlow (post 1700) +

  • Lieutenant George Willard Furlow (1893-1959), American World War I flying ace credited with five aerial victories
  • Allen John Furlow (1890-1954), American politician, U.S. Representative from Minnesota
  • Terry Furlow (1954-1980), American NBA basketball player


The Furlow 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: Liberalitas
Motto Translation: Liberty


  1. "What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
  2. Convict Records of Australia. Retrieved 4th March 2021 from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/commodore-hayes


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