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Farrelly History Etymology Early Origins Early History Spelling Variations Early Notables Ranking

United States Australia New Zealand West Indies

Contemporary Notables Related Stories Motto Sources

Farrelly History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
Ireland

Etymology of Farrelly

What does the name Farrelly mean?

The Farrelly surname comes from the Irish Gaelic name Ó Fearghail, which means "a valiant warrior." 1

Early Origins of the Farrelly family

The surname Farrelly was first found in Leinster, where they were found mainly in County Longford.

Feargal, Prince of Annaly appears number 105 on the "Line of Ir" descendants. Ir was the fifth son of Milesius of Spain. This Feargal was slain fighting on the aide of Brian Boru at the Battle of Clontarf in 1014. However, some writers doubt this claim.

From this progenitor, rose O'Farrell Ban, O'Farrell of Rathline, O'Farrell, the Chiefs of Clanhugh, O'Farrell of Mugh Treagha, O'Farrell of Kenagh and O'Farrell, Chiefs of Clanawley. 1

Early History of the Farrelly family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Farrelly research. Another 185 words (13 lines of text) covering the years 1235, 1248 and 1659 are included under the topic Early Farrelly History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Farrelly Spelling Variations

The recording of names in Ireland in the Middle Ages was an inconsistent endeavor at best. The many regional dialects and the predominate illiteracy would have made common surnames appear unrelated to the scribes of the period. Research into the name Farrelly revealed spelling variations, including Ferrell, Farrell, O'Ferrall, O'Farrell, Farrelly, Fraleigh, Frawley, Frahill and many more.

Early Notables of the Farrelly family

Notable amongst the family name at this time was Jean François Ferrel, a musician in Paris about the middle of the 17th century, wrote a small pamphlet 'A savoir que les maistres de dance, qui sont de vrays maistres larrons à...
Another 41 words (3 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Farrelly Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Farrelly Ranking

In the United States, the name Farrelly is the 17,359^th most popular surname with an estimated 2,487 people with that name. 2

Farrelly migration to the United States +

Irish families began to immigrate to British North America and the United States in the 18th century, but the greatest influx of Irish immigrants came during the Great Potato Famine of the late 1840s. The earlier settlers came to North America after a great deal of consideration and by paying relatively high fees for their passage. These settlers were primarily drawn by the promise of land. Those later settlers that came during the 1840's were trying to escape the conditions of poverty, starvation, disease, and death that had stricken Ireland. Due to the enormity of their numbers and the late date of their arrival, these immigrants primarily became hired laborers instead of homesteading settlers like their predecessors. An exhaustive search of immigration and passenger lists has revealed many Irish immigrants North America bearing the name Farrelly:

Farrelly Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Peter Farrelly, aged 36, who landed in Missouri in 1847 3
Patrick Farrelly, who arrived in Mississippi in 1850 3
Edward Farrelly, who arrived in Mobile, Ala in 1851 3
Ann Farrelly, aged 21, who landed in New York in 1854 3
John Farrelly, who landed in Colorado in 1896 3

Farrelly migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Farrelly Settlers in Canada in the 19th Century

William Farrelly, aged 30, a labourer, who arrived in Saint John, New Brunswick in 1834 aboard the ship "Edwin" from Dublin, Ireland
Biddy Farrelly, aged 26, who arrived in Saint John, New Brunswick in 1834 aboard the ship "Edwin" from Dublin, Ireland
Thomas Farrelly, aged 9, who arrived in Saint John, New Brunswick in 1834 aboard the ship "Edwin" from Dublin, Ireland
Nancy Farrelly, aged 6, who arrived in Saint John, New Brunswick in 1834 aboard the ship "Edwin" from Dublin, Ireland
Mary Farrelly, aged 3, who arrived in Saint John, New Brunswick in 1834 aboard the ship "Edwin" from Dublin, Ireland
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Farrelly migration to Australia +

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

Farrelly Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

Mr. Michael Farrelly, Irish convict who was convicted in County Meath, Ireland for 14 years, transported aboard the "Blenheim" on 19th May 1839, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land), he died in 1839 aboard the ship 4
Mr. Bryan Farrelly, (b. 1807), aged 36, Irish weaver who was convicted in Cavan, Ireland for life for arson, transported aboard the "Constant" on 9th May 1843, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land), he died in 1896 5
James Farrelly, aged 32, a labourer, who arrived in South Australia in 1855 aboard the ship "Bucephalus"
Catherine Farrelly, aged 14, a servant, who arrived in South Australia in 1855 aboard the ship "Bucephalus"
Patrick Farrelly, aged 22, a labourer, who arrived in South Australia in 1856 aboard the ship "Fitzjames"
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Farrelly 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:

Farrelly Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century

Patrick Farrelly, aged 22, a labourer, who arrived in Auckland, New Zealand aboard the ship "Assaye" in 1874 6
Mr. Pat Farrelly, British settler travelling from London, UK with 1 child aboard the ship "Assaye" arriving in Auckland, North Island, New Zealand on 26th December 1874 6
Thomas Farrelly, aged 22, a farm labourer, who arrived in Auckland, New Zealand aboard the ship "India" in 1875 6

Contemporary Notables of the name Farrelly (post 1700) +

John Patrick Farrelly (1856-1921), American prelate of the Roman Catholic Church
Alexander Anthony Farrelly (1923-2002), American Governor of the United States Virgin Islands (1987 to 1995)
Robert Leo "Bobby" Farrelly Jr. (b. 1958), American film director, screenwriter and producer
Peter John Farrelly (b. 1956), American film director, screenwriter, producer and novelist
Stanley Farrelly, American Republican politician, Alternate Delegate to Republican National Convention from Virgin Islands, 1964 7
Patrick Farrelly (1770-1826), American Democratic Party politician, Member of Pennsylvania State House of Representatives, 1811-12; U.S. Representative from Pennsylvania, 1821-26 7
John Wilson Farrelly (1809-1860), American politician, Member of Pennsylvania State House of Representatives, 1837; Burgess of Meadville, Pennsylvania, 1837, 1839-41; Member of Pennsylvania State Senate, 1842-44 7
James T. Farrelly, American politician, Representative from New York 18th District, 1906 7
Hugh P. Farrelly, American Democratic Party politician, Kansas Democratic State Chair, 1902-04 7
David M. Farrelly (1807-1890), American politician, Delegate to Pennsylvania State Constitutional Convention, 1836; Burgess of Meadville, Pennsylvania, 1847 7
... (Another 5 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

The Farrelly 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: Cu reabtha
Motto Translation: The rampaging dog.

Sources +

O'Hart, John, Irish Pedigrees 5th Edition in 2 Volumes. Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing Company, 1976. Print. (ISBN 0-8063-0737-4)
"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)
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 15th October 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/blenheim
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 9th March 2021). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/constant
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 2015, November 25) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html