Fergus (name)

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". 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.