Fey History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
Ireland

The Irish name Fey has a long Gaelic heritage to its credit. The original Gaelic form of the name Fey is Ó Fathaigh, derived from the word "fothadh," meaning "foundation." 1

Early Origins of the Fey family

The surname Fey was first found in Galway (Irish: Gaillimh) part of the province of Connacht, located on the west coast of the Island, where they held a family seat from very ancient times.

Early History of the Fey family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Fey research. Another 55 words (4 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Fey History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Fey Spelling Variations

The Middle Ages saw a great number of spelling variations for surnames common to the Irish landscape. One reason for these variations is the fact that surnames were not rigidly fixed by this period. The following variations for the name Fey were encountered in the archives: Fahey, Fahie, Fahy, Fay, O'Fahey, O'Fahy, Vahey and many more.

Early Notables of the Fey family

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

Fey Ranking

In the United States, the name Fey is the 9,452^nd most popular surname with an estimated 2,487 people with that name. 2 However, in France, the name Fey is ranked the 9,397^th most popular surname with an estimated 500 - 1,000 people with that name. 3

Fey migration to the United States +

In the 19th century, thousands of Irish left their English-occupied homeland for North America. Like most new world settlers, the Irish initially settled on the eastern shores of the continent but began to move westward with the promise of owning land. The height of this Irish migration came during the Great Potato Famine of the late 1840s. With apparently nothing to lose, Irish people left on ships bound for North America and Australia. Unfortunately a great many of these passengers lost their lives - the only thing many had left - to disease, starvation, and accidents during the long and dangerous journey. Those who did safely arrive in "the land of opportunities" were often used for the hard labor of building railroads, coal mines, bridges, and canals. The Irish were critical to the quick development of the infrastructure of the United States and Canada. Passenger and immigration lists indicate that members of the Fey family came to North America quite early:

Fey Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

Conrad Fey, who arrived in Pennsylvania in 1732 4
Mark Fey, aged 20, who arrived in Pennsylvania in 1734 4
Johan Nicolas Fey, who arrived in Pennsylvania in 1740 4
Johann Nikolaus Fey, who landed in America in 1741 4
Johann Simon Fey, who arrived in America in 1741 4
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Fey Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Mr. Fey, who landed in Braxil in 1827 4
George Fey, who landed in Somerset County, Pennsylvania in 1833 4
John Peter Fey, who arrived in New York, NY in 1837 4
Mr. Walter Fey, aged 31, from Germany who arrived in Galveston, Texas aboard the ship "Weser" in 1844
Christ Fey, aged 26, who arrived in New York, NY in 1847 4
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Contemporary Notables of the name Fey (post 1700) +

Elizabeth Stamatina "Tina" Fey (b. 1970), American nine-time Primetime Emmy Award, three-time Golden Globe Award, five-time Screen Actors Guild Award, and seven-time Writers Guild of America Award winning actress, comedian, writer and producer, awarded the Mark Twain Prize for American Humor in 2010
William Regis Fey O.F.M.Cap. (1942-2021), American Roman Catholic prelate, born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania; he died from COVID-19
Conrad Fey (b. 1831), American politician, Member of Michigan State House of Representatives from Saginaw County 2nd District, 1873-74 5
Augustus F. Fey (1861-1944), American politician, Mayor of Carbondale, Pennsylvania, 1928-32 5

Historic Events for the Fey family +

RMS Titanic

Signore Carlo Fey (d. 1912), aged 30, English Scullion from London, England who worked aboard the RMS Titanic and died in the sinking 6

The Fey 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: Esperance
Motto Translation: Hope.

Citations +

MacLysaght, Edward, The Surnames of Ireland. Ireland: Irish Academic Press, sixth edition, 1985. Print. (ISBN 0-7165-2366-3)
"What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
http://www.journaldesfemmes.com/nom-de-famille/nom/
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)
The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, November 2) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html
Titanic Passenger List - Titanic Facts. (Retrieved 2016, July 13) . Retrieved from http://www.titanicfacts.net/titanic-passenger-list.html