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Irish surname

Farley: Irish Surname History & Coat of Arms

Ó Faircheallaigh · 'descendant of Faircheallach' (super-war)

Woulfe (1923) lists Farley among the anglicised forms of Ó Faircheallaigh, 'descendant of Faircheallach' (super-war), the name of an ecclesiastical family who, until the suppression of the monastery, were coarbs of St. Mogue, or erenaghs of Drumlane, in Co. Cavan. Four Masters: entries from 1025 to 1484 name Ua Faircheallaigh, O'Faircheallaigh and O'Farrelly churchmen, among them an abbot of Druim-leathan and a canon of the family of Drumlane. In 1890, Matheson counts 7 Farley birth entries in Ireland.

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Coat of arms associated with the Farley surname
Irish formÓ Faircheallaigh
Meaning'descendant of Faircheallach' (super-war)
CountiesCavan, Limerick
Other spellings5
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Farley crest gifts

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Origin of the Farley name

Woulfe: 'the name of a distinguished ecclesiastical family who, until the suppression of the monastery, were coarbs of St. Mogue, or erenaghs of Drumlane, in Co. Cavan, and are now very numerous throughout the county.' He adds another family near Duntryleague in east Co. Limerick, which 'has long since disappeared from that district and is probably extinct'.[1]

  1. 1025Four Masters: Duibhinsi Ua Faircheallaigh, Abbot of Druim-leathan, is recorded.[5]
  2. 1059Four Masters: Conaing Ua Faircheallaigh, airchinneach of Druim-leathan, dies.[6]
  3. 1257Four Masters: Murray, son of Maelbrighde O'Faircheallaigh, Coarb of Maidoc, dies.[7]
  4. 1484Four Masters: John O'Farelly, a canon of the family of Drumlane, and Brian O'Farrelly, a priest, die.[8]
  5. 18907 Farley birth entries in Ireland.[2]

Where in Ireland

Co. CavanWoulfe: coarbs of St. Mogue, or erenaghs of Drumlane; 'now very numerous throughout the county'.[1]
Co. LimerickWoulfe: another family near Duntryleague, in the east of the county, 'probably extinct'.[1]

Other spellings

Farrelly · O'Farrelly · Fairleigh · Fairley · Ferly[1]

The Farley coat of arms

The design shown is a coat of arms associated with the Farley 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.

Farley surname: questions

What does the surname Farley mean?

Woulfe gives Farley as a form of Ó Faircheallaigh, 'descendant of Faircheallach', which he glosses as 'super-war'.[1]

Where is the Irish Farley name from?

Woulfe says the family were coarbs of St. Mogue, or erenaghs of Drumlane, in Co. Cavan, and are now very numerous throughout the county. He mentions another family near Duntryleague in Co. Limerick, probably extinct.[1]

Is Farley the same as Farrelly?

Woulfe prints Farrelly and Farley together as forms of Ó Faircheallaigh. Matheson's 1901 list prints [Farrelly] as a bracketed cross-reference under Farley, and [Farley] under Farrelly.[1][3][4]

What do the annals say about the Ó Faircheallaigh family?

Four Masters: entries between 1025 and 1484 name Ua Faircheallaigh, O'Faircheallaigh and O'Farrelly churchmen, including an abbot and an airchinneach of Druim-leathan, a coarb of Maidoc, and a canon of the family of Drumlane.[5][6][7][8]

Sources

  1. Ó Faircheallaigh — Irish Names and Surnames (Rev. Patrick Woulfe, 1923), transcribed, LibraryIreland.com. libraryireland.com/names/of/o-faircheallaigh.php
  2. Farley — Birth Indexes of 1890 — Special Report on Surnames in Ireland (Robert E. Matheson, 1909), transcribed, LibraryIreland.com. libraryireland.com/matheson/report/births/farley.php
  3. Farley — Varieties and Synonymes of Surnames and Christian Names in Ireland (Robert E. Matheson, 1901), transcribed, LibraryIreland.com. libraryireland.com/matheson/varieties/list/579.php
  4. Farrelly — Varieties and Synonymes of Surnames and Christian Names in Ireland (Robert E. Matheson, 1901), transcribed, LibraryIreland.com. libraryireland.com/matheson/varieties/list/585.php
  5. Annals of the Four Masters (trans. John O'Donovan), 1025 — CELT edition, CELT, University College Cork. celt.ucc.ie/published/T100005B/text013.html
  6. Annals of the Four Masters (trans. John O'Donovan), 1059 — CELT edition, CELT, University College Cork. celt.ucc.ie/published/T100005B/text016.html
  7. Annals of the Four Masters (trans. John O'Donovan), 1257 — CELT edition, CELT, University College Cork. celt.ucc.ie/published/T100005C/text009.html
  8. Annals of the Four Masters (trans. John O'Donovan), 1484 — CELT edition, CELT, University College Cork. celt.ucc.ie/published/T100005D/text012.html

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