Contents [hide]

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

United States Canada Australia New Zealand

Contemporary Notables Related Stories Suggested Reading Sources

Fergus History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
Ireland
Scotland

Etymology of Fergus

What does the name Fergus mean?

The Fergus surname comes from the Irish Gaelic Ó Fearghuis or Ó Fearghasa, meaning "descendant of Fearghus," a Gaelic personal name composed of the elements "fear," meaning "man," and "gus," thought to mean "vigor," or "force." Fearghus was the name of an early Irish mythological King of Ulster, a valiant warrior said to have been shipwrecked off the coast of Northern Ireland c. AD 320, at the place known as Carrickfergus ("rock of Fergus"). 1

Early Origins of the Fergus family

The surname Fergus was first found in Connacht, especially in County Mayo, where they held the Parish of Burrishoole in 1303, and were hereditary physicians to the powerful O'Malleys.

"The Ferris variant is more numerous both in the old records and today than Fergus. It is well known in Keryy and in Ulster, where it has several synonyms in use including Fairy and O'Ferry, which however are properly anglicizations of Ó Fearadhaigh, a Cenél sept. There are 27 families of Ferris in the 1911 census of Co. Kerry and the name was there at least as early as 1586. " 2

Early History of the Fergus family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Fergus research. Another 78 words (6 lines of text) covering the years 1571, 1750, 1809 and 1828 are included under the topic Early Fergus History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Fergus Spelling Variations

Spelling variations of this family name include: Fergus, O'Fergus, Fargus, O'Fargus, Ferris, Ferguson and many more.

Early Notables of the Fergus family

Notable among the family name at this time was

Father Cormac O'Fergus, who went from Cork to Lisbon, Portugal in 1571. He was imprisoned while preaching at Clonmel

Fergus Ranking

In the United States, the name Fergus is the 11,711^st most popular surname with an estimated 2,487 people with that name. 3

Fergus migration to the United States +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Fergus Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

Owen Fergus, who settled in Boston in 1739
James Fergus, who arrived in North Carolina in 1740 4
James Fergus, who settled in New York in 1774

Fergus Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

David Fergus, who settled in New York, NY in 1822
David Fergus, who landed in Cincinnati, Oh in 1822 4
William Fergus, who arrived in New York in 1827 4
Mary, Janet and David Fergus, who arrived in New York in 1832

Fergus migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Fergus Settlers in Canada in the 19th Century

Christian Fergus, who settled in Quebec in 1820
Catherine Fergus' death was registered at Grosse Isle, Quebec in 1847
Miss. Bridget Fergus, aged 1 who immigrated to Canada, arriving at the Grosse Isle Quarantine Station in Quebec aboard the ship "Naomi" departing from the port of Liverpool, England but died on Grosse Isle in August 1847 5
Ms. Catherine Fergus, aged 21 who immigrated to Canada, arriving at the Grosse Isle Quarantine Station in Quebec aboard the ship "Naomi" departing from the port of Liverpool, England but died on Grosse Isle in August 1847 5
Mrs. Susan Fergus, aged 32 who was emigrating through Grosse Isle Quarantine Station, Quebec aboard the ship "John and Robert Liverpool" departing 9th June 1847 from Liverpool, England; the ship arrived on 6th August 1847 but she died on board 6

Fergus migration to Australia +

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

Fergus Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

Owen Fergus, aged 41, who arrived in South Australia in 1858 aboard the ship "Utopia"

Fergus 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:

Fergus Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century

Miss Mary Fergus, (b. 1861), aged 10 weeks, British settler travelling from Bristol aboard the ship "Matoaka" arriving in Lyttelton, Christchurch, South Island, New Zealand on 10th February 1862 7
Mr. James Fergus, (b. 1831), aged 30, British farm labourer travelling from Bristol aboard the ship "Matoaka" arriving in Lyttelton, Christchurch, South Island, New Zealand on 10th February 1862 7
Mrs. Jane Fergus, (b. 1834), aged 27, British settler travelling from Bristol aboard the ship "Matoaka" arriving in Lyttelton, Christchurch, South Island, New Zealand on 10th February 1862 7
Mr. Samuel Fergus, (b. 1859), aged 2, British settler travelling from Bristol aboard the ship "Matoaka" arriving in Lyttelton, Christchurch, South Island, New Zealand on 10th February 1862 7

Contemporary Notables of the name Fergus (post 1700) +

James Fergus (1813-1902), Scottish-born, American miner, rancher, businessman and politician in Minnesota and Montana, founder of Fergus Falls, Minnesota and Fergus County, Montana
Tom Fergus (b. 1962), American professional NHL ice hockey player who played 726 regular season games
Keith Carlton Fergus (b. 1954), American professional PGA golfer who has had 3 PGA wins
Dylan Fergus (b. 1980), American actor, known for Hellbent (2004), Passions (1999) and Come Away with Me (2005)
Jim Fergus (b. 1950), American author
Dr. John Fergus (1700-1761), Irish physician and man of letters
Rev. James Fergus (1895-1989), Irish Catholic priest, Bishop of Achonry
Sir Howard Archibald Fergus KBE (1937-2023), Montserratian author and historian, born at Long Ground in Montserrat, Professor of Eastern Caribbean Studies at the University College of the West Indies
Thomas Fergus (1815-1914), Scottish-born, New Zealand politician, Minister of Defence (1887-1889), Minister of Justice (1887-1889), Minister of Public Works (1889-1891) and Minister of Education (1889-1891)
Michael Fergus, 18th Earl of Strathmore and Kinghorn, Chief of Clan Lyon

Sources +

MacLysaght, Edward, Supplement to Irish Families. Baltimore: Genealogical Book Company, 1964. Print.
MacLysaght, Edward, More Irish Families. Dublin: Irish Academic Press, 1982. Print. (ISBN 0-7165-0126-0)
"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)
Charbonneau, André, and Doris Drolet-Dubé. A Register of Deceased Persons at Sea and on Grosse Île in 1847. The Minister of Canadian Heritage, 1997. ISBN: 0-660-198/1-1997E (p. 28)
Charbonneau, André, and Doris Drolet-Dubé. A Register of Deceased Persons at Sea and on Grosse Île in 1847. The Minister of Canadian Heritage, 1997. ISBN: 0-660-198/1-1997E (p. 75)
New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 17th October 2018). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html