Furlonge History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

• Origins Available:
• Ireland
• England

Etymology of Furlonge

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 Furlonge, were taken from the name of a place or a geographical feature where the person lived, held land, or was born. The surname Furlonge is derived from living near a field. The surname Furlonge 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 Furlonge family

Early History of the Furlonge family

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

Furlonge Spelling Variations

Medieval scribes and church officials spelt names simply the way they sounded, which explains the various name spelling variations of the name Furlonge that were encountered when researching that surname. The many spelling variations included: Furlong, Furlang and others.

Early Notables of the Furlonge family

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

Migration of the Furlonge family

During the middle of the 19th century, Irish families often experienced extreme poverty and racial discrimination in their own homeland under English rule. Record numbers died of disease and starvation and many others, deciding against such a fate, boarded ships bound for North America. The largest influx of Irish settlers occurred with Great Potato Famine of the late 1840s. Unfortunately, many of those Irish that arrived in Canada or the United States still experienced economic and racial discrimination. Although often maligned, these Irish people were essential to the rapid development of these countries because they provided the cheap labor required for the many canals, roads, railways, and other projects required for strong national infrastructures. Eventually the Irish went on to make contributions in the less backbreaking and more intellectual arenas of commerce, education, and the arts. Research early immigration and passenger lists revealed many early immigrants bearing the name Furlonge: Daniel Furlong purchased land in Philadelphia in 1774; James Furlong settled in Boston Massachusetts in 1764; Thomas Furlong settled in Maryland in 1775. Many others of that name settled in Pennsylvania in the mid-1800'.