Home › Irish Surnames › Farrell

Irish surname

Farrell: Irish Surname History & Coat of Arms

Ó Fearghail · 'descendant of Fearghal' (super-valour)

Farrell and O'Farrell are anglicised forms of Ó Fearghail, 'descendant of Fearghal' (super-valour). Woulfe (1923) says the best-known family of the name were the O'Farrells of Annaly, in present Co. Longford, for many centuries its ruling race. In Matheson's 1890 survey Farrell was 35th among Irish surnames, with about 14,700 people.

Shop Farrell crest giftsRead the history
Coat of arms associated with the Farrell surname
Irish formÓ Fearghail
Meaning'descendant of Fearghal' (super-valour)
CountiesLongford, Wicklow, Tyrone, Dublin
Other spellings8

Origin of the Farrell name

Woulfe: the name of several distinct families, the best known the O'Farrells of Annaly (present Co. Longford), 'for many centuries the ruling race'. Their head lived at Longford, formerly Longphort Ui Fhearghail, 'O'Farrell's fortress'. They later split into O'Farrell Boy (yellow) and O'Farrell Bane (fair). Other families were seated in Wicklow and Tyrone.[1]

  1. 1565Sir Henry Sidney reduces Annaly to shire ground; O'Farrell independence ends.[1]
  2. 17th centuryO'Farrells prominent in political and military movements despite James I's plantations.[1]
  3. 1890Farrell is 35th among Irish surnames, about 14,700 people.[3]

Where in Ireland

Co. LongfordAnnaly; the town was Longphort Ui Fhearghail, 'O'Farrell's fortress'. Second of the counties where Farrell was chiefly found in 1890.[1][4]
Co. WicklowWoulfe records another family of the name seated here.[1]
Co. TyroneWoulfe records another family of the name seated here.[1]
Co. DublinFirst of the counties where Farrell was chiefly found in 1890.[4]
Co. WestmeathAmong the counties where Farrell was chiefly found in 1890.[4]

Other spellings

O'Farrell · O Ferrall · Ferrall · Farrahill · Frahill · Fraul · Farrelly · Frawley[1]

The Farrell coat of arms

The design shown is a coat of arms associated with the Farrell surname. In Irish and British heraldry a coat of arms is granted to one person and passes to their heirs; it does not belong to everyone who shares the surname. Many families still use the arms of their name as a symbol of their heritage.

Farrell crest gifts

Clan Ofarrell Coat Of Arms - Irish Family Crest Classic Cap MV66 Ofarrell Coat Of Arms Irish Cap Ofarrell Coat Of Arms - Irish Family Crest Classic Cap£26.00Clan Farrell Coat Of Arms - Irish Family Crest Classic Cap MI19 Farrell Coat Of Arms Irish Cap Farrell Coat Of Arms - Irish Family Crest Classic Cap£26.00Clan Ofarrell Coat Of Arms - Irish Family Crest St Patrick's Day Classic CapCE36 Classic Cap - Ofarrell Coat Of Arms St Patrick's Day Classic Cap Irish Cap Ofarrell Coat Of Arms - Irish Family Crest St Patrick's Day Classic Cap£33.00Clan Farrell Coat Of Arms - Irish Family Crest St Patrick's Day Classic CapRJ84 Classic Cap - Farrell Coat Of Arms St Patrick's Day Classic Cap Irish Cap Farrell Coat Of Arms - Irish Family Crest St Patrick's Day Classic Cap£33.00

Farrell surname: questions

What does the surname Farrell mean?

Woulfe gives Farrell and O'Farrell as anglicised forms of Ó Fearghail, 'descendant of Fearghal', glossing Fearghal as 'super-valour'.[1]

Where in Ireland is Farrell from?

The best-known family were the O'Farrells of Annaly, in present Co. Longford; the town of Longford was formerly Longphort Ui Fhearghail, 'O'Farrell's fortress'. Woulfe also records families of the name in Wicklow and Tyrone.[1]

Are Farrell and O'Farrell the same name?

Yes. Woulfe lists O'Farrell, Farrell and Ferrall among the anglicised forms of the one Irish name Ó Fearghail.[1]

Are Farrelly and Frawley related to Farrell?

Woulfe gives Ó Fearghaile (anglicised Farrelly, Frawley, Farrell) as a variant of Ó Fearghail, 'descendant of Fearghal'.[2]

Sources

  1. Ó Fearghail — Irish Names and Surnames (Rev. Patrick Woulfe, 1923), transcribed, LibraryIreland.com. libraryireland.com/names/of/o-fearghail.php
  2. Ó Fearghaile — Irish Names and Surnames (Rev. Patrick Woulfe, 1923), transcribed, LibraryIreland.com. libraryireland.com/names/of/o-fearghaile.php
  3. Principal Surnames in Ireland (table of 100 principal surnames, Births Index 1890) — Special Report on Surnames in Ireland (Robert E. Matheson, 1909), transcribed, LibraryIreland.com. libraryireland.com/matheson/report/principal-surnames-ireland.php
  4. Farrell — Birth Indexes of 1890 — Special Report on Surnames in Ireland (Robert E. Matheson, 1909), transcribed, LibraryIreland.com. libraryireland.com/matheson/report/births/farrell.php

Note: Matheson's 1890 figures for a surname include its spelling varieties (Matheson, Table Explanation).