Show ContentsFée History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Etymology of Fée

What does the name Fée mean?

The surname Fée originally appeared in Gaelic as "O Fiaich," derived from the word "fiach," which means "raven."

Early Origins of the Fée family

The surname Fée was first found in County Cavan, north Connacht, and Fermanagh, where they held a family seat from very ancient times.

Early History of the Fée family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Fée research. Another 77 words (6 lines of text) covering the years 1172 and 1707 are included under the topic Early Fée History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Fée 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 Fée that are preserved in archival documents are Foy, Fee, Fye, Fey and others.

Early Notables of the Fée family

Another 37 words (3 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Fée Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Fée Ranking

In the United States, the name Fée is the 5,165th most popular surname with an estimated 4,974 people with that name. 1


Fée migration to the United States +

Irish families left their homeland in astonishing numbers during the 19th century in search of a better life. Although individual reasons vary, most of these Irish families suffered from extreme poverty, lack of work opportunities, and exorbitant rents in their homeland. Many decided to travel to Australia or North America in the hopes of finding greater opportunities and land. The Irish immigrants that came to North America initially settled on the East Coast, often in major centers such as Boston or New York. But like the many other cultures to settle in North America, the Irish traveled to almost any region they felt held greater promise; as a result, many Irish with gold fever moved all the way out to the Pacific coast. Others before that time left for land along the St. Lawrence River and the Niagara Peninsula, or the Maritimes as United Empire Loyalists, for many Irish did choose to side with the English during the American War of Independence. The earliest wave of Irish migration, however, occurred during the Great Potato Famine of the 1840s. An examination of early immigration and passenger lists has revealed many people bearing the Fée name:

Fée Settlers in United States in the 17th Century
  • John Fee, who landed in New England in 1638 2
  • Neale Fee, who arrived in Virginia in 1642 2
  • Reynold Fee, who landed in Maryland in 1668 2
Fée Settlers in United States in the 18th Century
  • Hans Jacob Fee, aged 30, who arrived in Pennsylvania in 1739 2
Fée Settlers in United States in the 19th Century
  • James Fee, who arrived in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1811 2
  • Patrick Fee, who landed in Philadelphia Pennsylvania in 1811 2
  • Robert Fee, who arrived in South Carolina in 1812 2
  • William Fee, who landed in South Carolina in 1812 2
  • Hugh Fee, who landed in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1816 2
  • ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Fée migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Fée Settlers in Canada in the 19th Century
  • Patrick Fee, aged 25, a labourer, who arrived in Saint John, New Brunswick in 1833 aboard the brig "Dorcas Savage" from Belfast, Ireland
  • Mrs. Ann Fee, aged 30 who immigrated to Canada, arriving at the Grosse Isle Quarantine Station in Quebec aboard the ship "Charles Richard" departing from the port of Sligo, Ireland but died on Grosse Isle in August 1847 3
  • Mr. Patrick Fee, aged 3 who was emigrating through Grosse Isle Quarantine Station, Quebec aboard the ship "Wolfville" departing 25th April 1847 from Sligo, Ireland; the ship arrived on 10th June 1847 but he died on board 4

Fée migration to Australia +

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

Fée Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century
  • Mr. Michael Fee, (Fea, Fre, Foy), (b. 1796), aged 30, Irish linen worker who was convicted in County Mayo, Ireland for life for rioting, transported aboard the "Boyne" on 28th October 1826, arriving in New South Wales, Australia, he died in 1836 5
  • Mr. Charles Fee, (b. 1814), aged 17, Irish shoe maker's boy who was convicted in Monaghan, Ireland for life for embezzlement, transported aboard the "Captain Cook" on 5th November 1831, arriving in New South Wales, Australia 6
  • Elizabeth Fee, English convict from Lancaster, who was transported aboard the "Angelina" on April 25, 1844, settling in Van Diemen's Land, Australia 7

Fée 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:

Fée Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century
  • Miss Maria Fee, (b. 1849), aged 17, British dairymaid travelling from London aboard the ship 'Mermaid' arriving in Lyttelton, Christchurch, South Island, New Zealand on 5th January 1867 8
  • Miss Mary Ann Fee, (b. 1843), aged 23, British dairymaid travelling from London aboard the ship 'Mermaid' arriving in Lyttelton, Christchurch, South Island, New Zealand on 5th January 1867 8
  • Miss Jane Fee, (b. 1842), aged 24, British dressmaker travelling from London aboard the ship 'Mermaid' arriving in Lyttelton, Christchurch, South Island, New Zealand on 5th January 1867 8
  • William Fee, aged 50, a farm labourer, who arrived in Hawkes Bay aboard the ship "Bebington" in 1874
  • Bessie Fee, aged 45, who arrived in Hawkes Bay aboard the ship "Bebington" in 1874

Fée migration to West Indies +

The British first settled the British West Indies around 1604. They made many attempts but failed in some to establish settlements on the Islands including Saint Lucia and Grenada. By 1627 they had managed to establish settlements on St. Kitts (St. Christopher) and Barbados, but by 1641 the Spanish had moved in and destroyed some of these including those at Providence Island. The British continued to expand the settlements including setting the First Federation in the British West Indies by 1674; some of the islands include Barbados, Bermuda, Cayman Island, Turks and Caicos, Jamaica and Belize then known as British Honduras. By the 1960's many of the islands became independent after the West Indies Federation which existed from 1958 to 1962 failed due to internal political conflicts. After this a number of Eastern Caribbean islands formed a free association. 9
Fée Settlers in West Indies in the 17th Century
  • Geo Fee, aged 19, who landed in St Christopher in 1635 2

Contemporary Notables of the name Fée (post 1700) +

  • Gordon Donald Fee (1934-2022), American Christian theologian who was an ordained minister of the Assemblies of God (USA), Professor of New Testament Studies at Regent College in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
  • Charles Fee, American producing artistic director for three classical repertory companies
  • Ben Fee (b. 1908), Chinese American writer and labor organizer
  • John Fee (1867-1913), American professional baseball player
  • John Gregg Fee (1816-1901), American abolitionist, minister and educator
  • James Alger Fee (1888-1959), American jurist from Oregon
  • Melinda O. Fee (b. 1942), American actress
  • James Fee (1949-2006), American photographer
  • Raymond "Ray" John Fee (1903-1983), American boxer
  • Harry W. Fee (1870-1960), American Democratic Party politician, Candidate for U.S. Representative from Pennsylvania 27th District, 1924; Chair of Indiana County Democratic Party, 1927 10
  • ... (Another 16 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)


Suggested Readings for the name Fée +

  • The Fee Family and the Daily Notes of Canonsburg Pennsylvania: The Evolution of a Family, Its Newspaper, and Its Community by William Warrell Fee.
  • A history of the Fee Family by Ralph E. Pearson.

  1. "What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
  2. 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)
  3. Charbonneau, André, and Doris Drolet-Dubé. A Register of Deceased Persons at Sea and on Grosse Île in 1847. The Minister of Canadian Heritage, 1997. ISBN: 0-660-198/1-1997E (p. 27)
  4. Charbonneau, André, and Doris Drolet-Dubé. A Register of Deceased Persons at Sea and on Grosse Île in 1847. The Minister of Canadian Heritage, 1997. ISBN: 0-660-198/1-1997E (p. 75)
  5. Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 27th October 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/Boyne
  6. Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 17th December 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/captain-cook
  7. State Library of Queensland. (Retrieved 2014, November 27) Angelina voyage to Van Diemen's Land, Australia in 1844 with 171 passengers. Retrieved from http://www.convictrecords.com.au/ships/angelina/1844
  8. New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 17th October 2018). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html
  9. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_West_Indies
  10. The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2016, January 20) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html


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