O'Ferrall History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
Ireland

The O'Ferrall surname comes from the Irish Gaelic name Ó Fearghail, which means "a valiant warrior." 1

Early Origins of the O'Ferrall family

The surname O'Ferrall was first found in Leinster, where they were found mainly in County Longford.

Feargal, Prince of Annaly appears number 105 on the "Line of Ir" descendants. Ir was the fifth son of Milesius of Spain. This Feargal was slain fighting on the aide of Brian Boru at the Battle of Clontarf in 1014. However, some writers doubt this claim.

From this progenitor, rose O'Farrell Ban, O'Farrell of Rathline, O'Farrell, the Chiefs of Clanhugh, O'Farrell of Mugh Treagha, O'Farrell of Kenagh and O'Farrell, Chiefs of Clanawley. 1

Early History of the O'Ferrall family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our O'Ferrall research. Another 185 words (13 lines of text) covering the years 1235, 1248 and 1659 are included under the topic Early O'Ferrall History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

O'Ferrall Spelling Variations

The archives that survive today demonstrate the difficulty experienced by the scribes of the Middle Ages in their attempts to record these names in writing. Spelling variations of the name O'Ferrall dating from that time include Ferrell, Farrell, O'Ferrall, O'Farrell, Farrelly, Fraleigh, Frawley, Frahill and many more.

Early Notables of the O'Ferrall family

Notable amongst the family name at this time was Jean François Ferrel, a musician in Paris about the middle of the 17th century, wrote a small pamphlet 'A savoir que les maistres de dance, qui sont de vrays maistres larrons à...
Another 41 words (3 lines of text) are included under the topic Early O'Ferrall Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the O'Ferrall family

In the 18th and 19th centuries, thousands of Irish families fled an Ireland that was forcibly held through by England through its imperialistic policies. A large portion of these families crossed the Atlantic to the shores of North America. The fate of these families depended on when they immigrated and the political allegiances they showed after they arrived. Settlers that arrived before the American War of Independence may have moved north to Canada at the war's conclusion as United Empire Loyalists. Such Loyalists were granted land along the St. Lawrence River and the Niagara Peninsula. Those that fought for the revolution occasionally gained the land that the fleeing Loyalist vacated. After this period, free land and an agrarian lifestyle were not so easy to come by in the East. So when seemingly innumerable Irish immigrants arrived during the Great Potato Famine of the late 1840s, free land for all was out of the question. These settlers were instead put to work building railroads, coal mines, bridges, and canals. Whenever they came, Irish settlers made an inestimable contribution to the building of the New World. Early North American immigration records have revealed a number of people bearing the Irish name O'Ferrall or a variant listed above, including: Bridget Ferrell who settled in Barbados in 1680; Katherine Ferrell settled in Virginia in 1649; Alexander Farrell settled in Virginia in 1656; Atkinson, Barney, Bernard, Charles, Christopher, Daniel, Dennis, Edward, Eiden, Francis, George, Hamilton, Hugh, James, John, Laurence, Lawrence, Luke, Martin, Michael, Patrick, Peter, Richard, Robert, Thomas and William Farrell, all settled in Philadelphia between 1840 and 1860. Martin and Michael Frawly arrived in Philadelphia in 1868 and 1874.

Contemporary Notables of the name O'Ferrall (post 1700) +

Francis K. O'Ferrall, American politician, Delegate to Iowa State Constitutional Convention from Dubuque, Delaware, Buchanan, Fayette and Black Hawk counties, 1846 2
Charles Triplett O'Ferrall (1840-1905), American Democratic Party politician, Member of Virginia State Legislature; U.S. Representative from Virginia 7th District, 1884-93; Resigned 1893; Governor of Virginia, 1894-98 2

The O'Ferrall 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: Cu reabtha
Motto Translation: The rampaging dog.

Citations +

O'Hart, John, Irish Pedigrees 5th Edition in 2 Volumes. Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing Company, 1976. Print. (ISBN 0-8063-0737-4)
The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, November 4) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html