Contents [hide]

Fowles History Early Origins Early History Spelling Variations Early Notables Ranking

Ireland United States Australia New Zealand

Contemporary Notables Historic Events Related Stories Motto Citations

Fowles History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
Scotland
Ireland

The annals of Scottish history reveal that Fowles was first used as a name by descendants of the Pictish tribe of ancient Scotland. The Fowles family lived in the place called Foulzie in the parish of King Edward in the county of Aberdeen. The surname Fowles belongs to the category of habitation names, which are derived from pre-existing names for towns, villages, parishes, or farmsteads.

Early Origins of the Fowles family

The surname Fowles was first found in Aberdeenshire (Gaelic: Siorrachd Obar Dheathain), a historic county, and present day Council Area of Aberdeen at Foulzie. James Fowlie was listed in Bartholl Chapell in 1741. 1 Further to the south in Greenhow in the North Riding of Yorkshire, the Foulis family gained a family seat during the reign of James I. Originally held by the D'Arcys, that family had lost the lands during the reign of Henry VIII when it was reverted to the crown. 2

Nearby, in Ingleby-Greenhow, the family of Foulis bought the lands from the Eures. From this branch , Henry Foulis, the historian and divine, was born at Ingleby manor-house in the middle of the 17th century. "The parish is now almost exclusively the property of Sir William Foulis, Bart., who is lord of the manor. Ingleby manor-house, the seat of Sir William Foulis, is a stately mansion of stone, finely situated on an eminence; it contains some oak carvings, and an ancient portrait of Queen Elizabeth." 2

Early History of the Fowles family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Fowles research. Another 202 words (14 lines of text) covering the years 1198, 1248, 1295, 1305, 1422, 1429, 1469, 1486, 1552, 1626, 1629, 1634, 1638, 1645, 1654, 1669, 1688, 1711 and 1800 are included under the topic Early Fowles History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Fowles Spelling Variations

During the Middle Ages, there was no basic set of rules and scribes wrote according to sound. The correct spelling of Scottish names were further compromised after many haphazard translations from Gaelic to English and back. Spelling variations of the name Fowles include Fowlie, Fowley, Fowlis, Foulis and others.

Early Notables of the Fowles family

Notable amongst the Clan at this time was Sir James Foulis, Lord Colinton (d. 1688), a Scottish judge; and his eldest son, James Foulis, Lord Reidfurd (1645?-1711), a Scottish judge; Henry Foulis (1638-1669), an English academic theologian and controversial author; Sir Alexander Foulis, made a Baronet June 7th 1634; Sir David Foulis, 1st Baronet Foulis was Custos Rotulorum (keeper of...
Another 59 words (4 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Fowles Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Fowles Ranking

In the United States, the name Fowles is the 16,942^nd most popular surname with an estimated 2,487 people with that name. 3

Migration of the Fowles family to Ireland

Some of the Fowles family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt. More information about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Fowles migration to the United States +

Scots left their country by the thousands to travel to Australia and North America. Desperate for freedom and an opportunity to fend for themselves, many paid huge fees and suffered under terrible conditions on long voyages. Still, for those who made the trip, freedom and opportunity awaited. In North America, many fought their old English oppressors in the American War of Independence. In recent years, Scottish heritage has been an increasingly important topic, as Clan societies and other organizations have renewed people's interest in their history. An examination of passenger and immigration lists shows many early settlers bearing the name of Fowles:

Fowles Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

Mary Fowles, who landed in Virginia in 1662 4
Edward Fowles, who arrived in Virginia in 1664 4
William Fowles, who arrived in Virginia in 1664 4

Fowles Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

Elizabeth Fowles, who landed in Maryland in 1740 4

Fowles Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

S Fowles, who arrived in San Francisco, California in 1860 4
William Fowles, who landed in Washington County, Pennsylvania in 1868 4

Fowles migration to Australia +

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

Fowles Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

George Fowles, who arrived in Adelaide, Australia aboard the ship "John" in 1840 5
Mary Fowles, who arrived in Adelaide, Australia aboard the ship "John" in 1840 5
Mr. Henry Fowles, English convict who was convicted in Gloucester, Gloucestershire, England for 7 years, transported aboard the "Emerald Isle" on 28th June 1843, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land) 6
Mr. Alexander Fowles, English convict who was convicted in Colchester, Essex, England for 7 years, transported aboard the ""Blenheim"" on 24th July 1850, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land) and Norfolk Island, Australia 7
George Fowles, aged 22, who arrived in South Australia in 1851 aboard the ship "Navarino" 8
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Fowles 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:

Fowles Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century

Mr. James Fowles, British settler travelling from London aboard the ship "Excelsior" arriving in Auckland, New Zealand on 17th March 1859 9
William Fowles, aged 54, a carpenter, who arrived in Wellington, New Zealand aboard the ship "Salisbury" in 1874
Mary Ann Fowles, aged 51, who arrived in Wellington, New Zealand aboard the ship "Salisbury" in 1874
Ellen Fowles, aged 10, who arrived in Wellington, New Zealand aboard the ship "Salisbury" in 1874
George William Fowles, aged 28, a labourer, who arrived in Wellington, New Zealand aboard the ship "Salisbury" in 1874
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Contemporary Notables of the name Fowles (post 1700) +

Sylvia Shaqueria Fowles (b. 1985), American WNBA basketball player
Ian Fowles (b. 1979), American guitarist
Colin Fowles (1953-1985), American North American Soccer League player who died as a result of random gunfire
W. A. Fowles, American politician, Member of South Dakota State House of Representatives 9th District, 1943-46 10
J. Francis Fowles, American Democratic Party politician, Delegate to Democratic National Convention from Utah, 1952 10
H. A. Fowles, American Republican politician, Member of Maine State House of Representatives from Penobscot County, 1919-20 10
Alvin W. Fowles, American politician, Mayor of Auburn, Maine, 1913-14 10
John Fowles (1926-2005), English novelist and essayist
Glenys Rae Fowles AM (b. 1941), Australian operatic soprano

Historic Events for the Fowles family +

RMS Lusitania

Mr. Charles Frederick Fowles, American 1st Class Passenger from New York, New York, USA, who sailed aboard the RMS Lusitania (1915) and died in the sinking and was recovered 11
Mrs. Frances May Fowles, American 1st Class Passenger from New York, New York, USA, who sailed aboard the RMS Lusitania (1915) and died in the sinking and was recovered 11

The Fowles 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: Mente manuque praesto
Motto Translation: Ready with heart and hand.

Citations +

Black, George F., The Surnames of Scotland Their Origin, Meaning and History. New York: New York Public Library, 1946. Print. (ISBN 0-87104-172-3)
Lewis, Samuel, A Topographical Dictionary of England. Institute of Historical Research, 1848, Print.
"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)
State Records of South Australia. (Retrieved 2010, November 5) JOHN from London 1840. Retrieved from http://www.slsa.sa.gov.au/BSA/1840John.htm
Convict Records Voyages to Australia. Retrieved 25th March 2022 from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/emerald-isle
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 25th October 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/blenheim
State Records of South Australia. (Retrieved 2010, November 5) NAVARINO 1851. Retrieved http://www.slsa.sa.gov.au/BSA/1851Navarino.htm
New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 17th October 2018). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html
The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2016, February 9) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html
Lusitania Passenger List - The Lusitania Resource. (Retrieved 2014, March 6) . Retrieved from http://www.rmslusitania.info/lusitania-passenger-list/