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]

Motto

Lucrum Christi mihi can be translated as "Without Christ, there is no light".