Fergus (name)
Fergus or Feargus is a popular Irish, Manx and Scottish given name. It is both the Old Irish spelling and the anglicised form of the modern Fearghus or Fearghas, meaning "man-strength" or "virility".[1] The name Fergus was a royal name amongst the Celts in Ireland and the Picts in Scotland. Although a relatively rare name, it is still very popular among the Scottish nobility and gentry. No fewer than three current Clan Chiefs are named Fergus.
As a surname, MacFhearhgais was Anglicised into Ferguson or Fergusson and this surname spread across Scotland but particularly in Ayrshire and Perthshire. The surnames Ferguson and Kerruish (from the genitive MacFhearghais) derive from it. In Ireland, the Ferris family of County Kerry derives its surname from the patronymic Ó Fearghusa.
Given name
| Fergus (Fearghus) |
| Pronunciation |
English: /ˈfɜrɡəs/
Irish: [ˈfʲaɾˠɣəsˠ]
Scottish Gaelic: [ˈfɛrɛɣəs̪] |
| Gender |
Male |
| Origin |
| Word/Name |
Goidelic |
| Meaning |
"man-strength, virility". |
| Region of origin |
Ireland, Scotland, Isle of Man |
| Other names |
| Related names |
Fearghus, Fearghas |
Saint Fergus
Sir Fergus
- Sir Fergus Cumyn
- Sir Fergus de Forbes, Chief of Clan Forbes
- Sir Fergus Frederick Graham, 5th Bt.
- Sir Fergus MacDowall of Garochloyne
- Sir Fergus Macdougall of Makerston
- Major Sir Fergus Matheson, 6th Bt., Chief of Clan Matheson
- Sir Fergus Matheson, 7th Bt., Chief of Clan Matheson
- Sir Fergus McMaster
- Sir Fergus Montgomery
- Sir Fergus Moss
- Sir Fergus of Strathearn
Peers
Other people with this given name
- Fergus, son of Eochaid Mugmedon, half-brother of Niall of the Nine Hostages (5th century)
- Fergus the Great, also known as Gwrgan Fawr or Gurgantius, a king of Ergyng, a Welsh kingdom of the early medieval period
- The Hon. Captain Fergus Bowes-Lyon, brother of the Queen Mother
- Fergus Boyd, Old Etonian and friend of Prince William
- Fergus Brit (605-623), the second Abbot of Iona[2][3]
- Fergus Dubdétach, legendary High King of Ireland of the 3rd century AD
- Fergus Ewing, Scottish politician
- Fergus Molloy, the Irishman
- Fergus Fortamail, legendary High King of Ireland of the 4th century BC
- Fergus Gillespie, Chief Herald of Ireland
- Fergus Hume, novelist
- Fergus Lethderg ("red-side" or "half-red"), a son of Nemed who leads his people against the Fomorians in the Irish Mythological Cycle
- Fergus mac Echdach, a Scottish king of the 8th century
- Fergus mac Léti, legendary king of Ulster
- Fergus mac Róich, a character from the Ulster Cycle of Irish mythology
- Fergus Mór, a Scottish king of the 6th century, reputed to have led the Scots from northern Ireland to the west coast of Scotland to establish the kingdom of Dalriada.
- Fergus O'Brien, Irish politician
- Fergus O'Dowd, Irish politician
- James Fergus (Fergy) Brown
- Fergus McAteer, Irish politician
- Fergus Murphy a.k.a Hedge Jumping Olympian
- Feargus Urquhart, a game developer
Fictional characters
- Fergus I, fictional king
- Fergus McDuck, Disney character
- Fergus the Railway Traction Engine, character in Thomas the Tank Engine and Friends
- Fergus the Fish, British preschoolers' cartoon series in the 1960s[4]
- Fergus Cramer from the Nero Wolfe series
- Fergus Malone, Rita's younger brother in Flushed Away
- Fergus the Horse, internet cartoon character[5]
- Fergus the Farmyard Dog, dog appearing in children's books by Tony Maddox
- Fergus Shannon, dog appearing in children's books by David Shannon
- Fergus the Hostler, a secondary character in the 1956 Robin Hood parody The Court Jester
- Fergus Dargle, a character created by Bennigan's [6]
- Fergus the tractor
- King Fergus, the leader of the foxes in the German film Der Sturmer
- Fergus, the dog in the Citizen Dog comic strip
- Fergus "Game" McGame, a Sydney gangster from the third season of Australian TV series Underbelly.
- Fergus, one of Shrek and Fiona's ogre triplets in Shrek
- Fergus, a NPC from the game Mabinogi (video game) his occupation is a blacksmith.
Surname
See also
References
- ^ Old Irish fer (modern Irish fear), "man"; Old Irish gus, "force, vigour, impetuosity, fierceness" (modern Irish "courage, grit, initiative, self-assurance"). Dictionary of the Irish Language, Compact Edition, 1983, pp. 299-300, 373; Collins Pocket Irish Dictionary pp. 472, 497
- ^ Popular Scottish forenames F-G
- ^ Donald Whyte, Scottish Forenames: Their Origins and History, Birlinn Ltd., 1996. Original from Indiana University
- ^ Fergus the Fish: Series (1960), New York Times
- ^ http://www.fergusthehorse.com
- ^ "Bennigan's Unleashes a Leprechaun on MySpace". Reuters. 15 January 2008. http://www.reuters.com/article/pressRelease/idUS247643+15-Jan-2008+BW20080115.