Fairadge History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

• Origins Available:
• Scotland
• Ireland

Etymology of Fairadge

The western coast of Scotland and the desolate Hebrides islands are the ancient home of the Fairadge family. Their name is derived from the Scottish surname MacFergus, which means "son of Fergus", which is in turn derived from the Gaelic personal name "Fearghus," composed of the elements "fear," meaning "man," and "gus," meaning "vigor" or "force." This Gaelic name was found early in both Ireland and Scotland. The name is a cognate of with the Cymric "Gwr-gwst," Old Bret. "Urorgost" and the Pictish word "Forcus." This last Pictish form of the name is found on a monument at St. Vigeans in Angus as "Fercos."

Fergus I (fl. 330 B.C.?), "son of Ferchard, was the first king of Scotland, according to the fictitious chronology of Boece and Buchanan, is said to have come to Scotland from Ireland about 330 B.C. to assist the Scots already settled in Scotland against the joint attack of the Picts and Britons. After succeeding in this he is further said to have gone back to Ireland to quell disturbances which had arisen in his absence, and to have been drowned in the passage off the rock or port which got the name of Carrick Fergus from him. " 1

Early Origins of the Fairadge family

Early History of the Fairadge family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Fairadge research. Another 148 words (11 lines of text) covering the years 1300, 1466, 1499, 1582 and 1890 are included under the topic Early Fairadge History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Fairadge Spelling Variations

Spelling variations were extremely common in medieval names, since scribes from that era recorded names according to sound rather than a standard set of rules. Fairadge has appeared in various documents spelled Fergus, Fergie, Forgie, Forgus, Ferris, Farris and many more.

Early Notables of the Fairadge family

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

Migration of the Fairadge family to Ireland

Some of the Fairadge family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 70 words (5 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Fairadge family

The descendants of the Dalriadan families who made the great crossing of the Atlantic still dot communities along the east coast of the United States and Canada. In the American War of Independence, many of the settlers traveled north to Canada as United Empire Loyalists. Clan societies and highland games have allowed Canadian and American families of Scottish descent to recover much of their lost heritage. Investigation of the origins of family names on the North American continent has revealed that early immigrants bearing the name Fairadge or a variant listed above include: Owen Fergus, who settled in Boston in 1739; James Fergus, who arrived in North Carolina in 1740; another James Fergus, who settled in New York in 1774.