Forde (surname)
 Mac Giollarnáth | |
| Language(s) | Irish |
|---|---|
| Other gender | |
| Masculine | Forde, Mac Giollarnáth |
| Feminine | Forde, Nic Giollarnáth, Mhic Giollarnáth |
| Origin | |
| Word/name | Connemara, Éire |
| Meaning | Mac an Áth, (Son of the ford (crossing) |
| Motto | "Lucrum Christi mihi" |
| Other names | |
| Anglicisation(s) | Forde, Ford (surname) |
Forde (Irish: Mac Giollarnáth) is an Irish surname derived from a number of Irish families.
History
The name is found throughout the four Provinces of Ireland, especially in County Galway and County Leitrim.[1]
Mac Giolla Naomh and Mac Giollarnáth
"Mac Giolla Naomh," meaning "son of the devotee of the saints" was an Irish clann or sept that originated in southern Connemara, Connacht. Over the years, however, "Mac Giolla Naomh," which was incorrectly transcribed as Mac Giollarnáth, and then erroneously translated as Ford (surname) or Forde, from the resemblance of the final syllable to Áth, a ford (crossing).[2]
Mac Consnámha
The name Forde also comes from "Mac Consnámha," or "son of the swimming hound." This Connacht sept was the name of a family in County Leitrim who were formerly chiefs of Muinter Kenny, in the present, Drumahaire (barony). Often, due to translation the surname was referred to as "Mac an Atha," son of the ford (crossing), and has therefore been Anglicised as Kinneavy, MacKinnawe or erroneously as Forde.
Ó Fuartháin (Fuaráin)
Lastly, in County Cork and County Waterford, the name was an Anglicised version of Ó Fuaráin, meaning "descendant of Fuarthán".[3] The personal name Fuartháin, derived from the Irish language word fuar (meaning "cold"), was once taken to represent the Irish word fuarathán (meaning "cold little ford"), which led to the surname being translated as Ford (surname) or Forde although more often it was Anglicised as Foran. The ancestor of Henry Ford (USA) came from County Cork in 1847.[4][5]
Forde variants
Variants of the name Forde include Ford and Foord and is of Anglo-Saxon descent spreading through the Celtic nations. However, this term originally comes from the Norse fjord meaning a narrow inlet of the sea. More recently, Forde and Ford have been regarded as a locality name meaning 'river crossing' from a person who lived beside a ford.
Historical examples of the surname and its derivatives include Richard de la Forde, of Norfolk, England, who was recorded in the Hundred Rolls in the year 1273 and a Thomas de Furd who was a presbyter in the diocese of Saint Andrews, Scotland, in the year 1406. A Peter ate Ford, was recorded in the Writs of Parliament, in the year 1313 and a Hugh Ford, of Wigan, was recorded in the 'Wills at Chester', in the year 1661. On 2 March 1589, Izabell Forde and Henry Embertonn were married in St. Giles Cripplegate, London, Sir Ambrose Forde was knighted at Leixlip, County Kildare, by Sir George Carey (c. 1541 – 1616), the Lord Deputy, on 2 August 1604. The first recorded spelling of the name is shown to be that of Bruman de la Forda, which was dated 1066, in the Book of Winton, Hampshire (included in the Domesday Book of 1086), during the reign of William the Conqueror, 1066–1087.[6]
Thus, there are also many Irish bearers of this name, who are of English origin as many Fords settled in Ireland with the plantation from England, the most notable of these arriving from Devonshire and were landowners in County Meath.[1]
Forde Coat of Arms
| Symbols and Colours | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Azure/Blue | Represents Loyalty and Truth. |
| Gules/Red | 'The Martyr's colour', signifies military fortitude and magnanimity. |
| Yellow/Gold | Represents generosity. |
| Pale Helmet | Denotes military strength and fortitude. |
| Martlet | One has been dispossessed of land. Sign for the fourth son. In Ireland, the Martlet was the bird of perpetual movement. |
| Red Rose | Signifies beauty and grace. |
Motto
Lucrum Christi mihi can be translated as "Without Christ, there is no light".
Notable people with the surname Forde include
- Seán Mac Giollarnáth (1880–1970), Irish folklorist
- Bernie Forde (born 1957), Irish retired hurler who played as a right corner-forward for the Galway senior team
- Brinsley Forde (born 1952), Guyanese actor and musician
- Brooke Forde (born 1999), American swimmer
- David Forde (soccer) (born 1979), Irish football player
- Eugenie Forde (1879–1940), American silent film actress
- Evan Forde (born 1952), American oceanographer
- Florrie Forde (1876–1940), Australian singer and entertainer
- Frank Forde (1890–1983), Australian Prime Minister
- Gerhard Forde (1927–2005), American Lutheran Theologian
- Jason Forde, Irish hurler who plays for Tipperary senior hurling team
- Jewel Forde, Barbadian television presenter
- Leneen Forde, Canadian-born solicitor, University chancellor and Governor of Queensland, Australia
- Liam Forde (1891–1958), alias of Séamas Ó Maoiléoin (aka James Malone), Irish revolutionary spy
- Martin Forde (1923–2022), American labour union activist
- Mattie Forde, Irish Gaelic footballer
- Nadia Forde, Irish model, singer and actress
- Norman Forde (born 1977), Barbadian footballer
- Pat Forde (born c. 1965), American sportswriter
- Patricia Forde (born 1960), former Director of the Galway Arts Festival and an Irish children's author
- Robert Forde (1875–1959), Antarctic explorer and member of the Terra Nova Expedition under Captain Robert Falcon Scott
- Samuel Forde (1805–1828), Irish painter
- Shaq Forde (born 2004), English footballer
- Shawna Forde (born 1967), American anti-illegal immigration activist charged with murder in 2009
- Sheri Forde, Canadian sports reporter
- Tommy Forde (1931–2012) Northern Irish professional footballer
- Victoria Forde (1896–1964), American silent film actress.
- Walter Forde (1898–1984), British actor, screenwriter and director.
References
- ^ a b c "Forde Coat of Arms, Family Crest – Free Image to View – Forde Name Origin History and Meaning of Symbols". irishsurnames.com.
- ^ Woulfe, Patrick (1923). Sloinnte Gaedheal is Gall.
- ^ MacLysaght, Edward (1978). Irish Families. Dublin. p. 150. ISBN 9780900372902.
{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link) - ^ "Forde Name Meaning, Family History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms". houseofnames.com. January 2000.
- ^ "Irish genealogy records for the surname Mac%20Giollarnath". johngrenham.com.
- ^ "Surname Database: Forde Last Name Origin". surnamedb.com.
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