The FOGARTY ONS is a byproduct of research I was conducting to determine if a cluster of FOGARTY families in close geographical proximity to an ancestral FOGARTY family in Kilkenny, Ireland were all related to each other, and if so, how.

To answer those questions I was more interested in accurately reconstructing families and their connections rather than collecting all instances of the surname (and variants). However, a significant amount of data was collected as a result, including all FOGARTYs and many other associated names in and around the locations of interest and beyond. It became apparent that others may benefit from this work or be able to contribute to it. The FOGARTY ONS was registered on 8 Nov 2022.

I began by extracting information on all FOGARTYs in Kilkenny from the 1901 and 1911 Census of Ireland, tracking each family or person backwards in time through the civil records and church records, reconstructing each family group and building their trees. In addition, I have reconstructed all of the other families in a number of the relevant townlands.

The current phase of this project is incorporating and linking information from the land and tax survey records.

Another essential aspect has been DNA analysis. It is only through the combination of genealogy, oral history, and DNA (autosomal & Y-DNA) that it has been possible to determine relationships for these particular FOGARTY families and to follow the FOGARTY surname ancestral path back to its recorded origin in Tipperary around 1050 CE.

The current geographical focus is Kilkenny, although inevitably there is some spillover into other counties in Ireland that will expand over time. There is also information available from descendant families in Australia and the US.

Fogarty, Fogerty

Fogarthy, Fogaty, Foggarty, Fogurty, Forgaty, O Fógartaigh, Gogarty, Hogarty

The name Fogarty, with variant spellings (o) Fogerty, Foggarty, Fogaty, Gogarty and Go(g)erty, is an Anglicized form of the old Gaelic "O Fogartaigh". The Gaelic prefix "o" indicates "male descendant of", plus the personal byname "Fogartach" meaning "banished" or "exiled".

Eliogarty, the name of a barony in Co. Tipperary (derived from the family), locates the sept, and indicates their importance. The centre of the family power was at Castlefogarty, in the civil parish of Ballycahill near the modern town of Thurles. (John Grenham)

The majority of present day name bearers in Ireland are still found in county Tipperary.

Ua f-Fogartaigh, 1150 in Annals of the Four Masters ;

Domhnall Ua Fógarta, lord of South Eile [Ele Déisceirt], 1171 in Annals of the Four Masters ;

Cornelius or Conghor O’Fogerde, 1549 in Fiants Edward §398 (Monerowe, Tipperary);

John O’Fogerty, 1552 in Fiants Edward §1130;

William O’Fogerte, rebel, 1560 in Fiants Elizabeth §232;

Donyll fitz Mortogh O’Fegert (of Ench), kern, Donogh fitz William O Fegerte (of Skaghanogh), and Donogh mcMolaghlen O’Fegerty (of Loughem), 1567 in Fiants Elizabeth §1184 (Kilkenny);

Donald boy and Thady mcDonell O’Fogertie, 1571 in Fiants Elizabeth §1865 (?Kilkenny);

Donyll roe O’Fogierte, 1571 in Fiants Elizabeth §1884;

Shane O’Fagirtye or O’Fogartie, 1571 in Fiants Elizabeth §1935;

Philip O’Fergerti, 1571–2 in Fiants Elizabeth §2065 (Kilkenny);

Rory O Fogortie, 1572 in Fiants Elizabeth §2042 (?Kilkenny);

Donell mcMortagh O Hogertie, husbandman, 1582 in Fiants Elizabeth §4036 (Temiranne, Carlow);

Molaghlin mcShane E Carr O Fogertie, 1594 in Fiants Elizabeth §5754 (Inchofogertie, Pobleofogertie, Kilkenny);

Rorie O Fougherty, yeoman, 1601 in Fiants Elizabeth §6538 (Liscreagh, Tipperary);

Donchie mcTeige oge O Fogertie, 1602 in Fiants Elizabeth §6628 (the Insewe);

John O’Fogartie, yeoman, 1609–10 in Irish Patent Rolls p. 160 (Larath);

Fogurty, principal Irish name, 1660 in Census and Poll p.309 (Barony of Middlethird, Tipperary);

Donogh Fogurty, gent., 1660 in Census and Poll p. 318 (Gortanny, Inshiofogurty, Tipperary);

Fogurty, principal Irish name, 1660 in Census and Poll p. 319 (Baronies of Eliogurty and Ikerim);

Reference: Muhr, Kay,Ó hAisibéil, Liam (2021). The Oxford Dictionary of Family Names of Ireland (pp. 1356-1358). OUP Oxford. Kindle Edition.

There are challenges estimating frequencies as these will vary depending on the time period, available records and the various methods of counting, e.g. total population vs heads of households.

In Ireland, the most accurate counts of total occurrences are from the 1901 and 1911 censuses, as these would have attempted to include the whole population. However, even these will be underestimates to some extent, due to both indexing errors based on inaccurate transcriptions, and of omissions, as a result of missing returns or returns missed in the indexing process.

Ireland Frequency

1911 Census of Ireland

Fogarty 2356 Head of Household 244

Fogerty: 22, Fogarthy: 3, Forgarty: 2

Tipperary 922 Head of Household 193

Kilkenny 181 Head of Household 47

1901 Census of Ireland

Fogarty 2361 Head of Household 216

Fogerty: 21, Fogarthy: 3, Forgarty: 1

Tipperary 992 Head of Household 89

Kilkenny 208 Head of Household 51

In terms of global distribution, the surname FOGARTY is found in many countries across the world. The highest incidence is recorded in the US 12,128, followed by Australia 5,054, Ireland 4,114, England 2,197, Canada 928, New Zealand 471, South Africa 149, Northern Ireland 125, Jamaica 87, Scotland 70 and Wales 45. The name also appears less frequently in another 47 countries. For a surname that originated in Tipperary, it has spread far and wide.

The highest density is still in Ireland, where it ranks at 230. (2014 data from forebears.io; the data sources are not specified and may not be representative nor comparable.)

FOGARTY Frequency & Distribution in Ireland 1847-1864

(Source: johngrenham.com) (Used with permission)

The Oxford Dictionary of Family Names of Ireland (2021)
Kay Muhr and Liam Ó hAisibéil

https://www.oxfordreference.com/display/10.1093/acref/9780198803263.001.0001/acref-9780198803263