The Clan/Sept History

The history of the name O Fogarty begins long before Irish names were translated
into English. The original Gaelic form of O Fogarty was O Fogartaigh, meaning
exiled.

The recording of names in Ireland in the Middle Ages was an inconsistent
endeavor at best. The many regional dialects and the predominate illiteracy
would have made common surnames appear unrelated to the scribes of the period.
Research into the name O Fogarty revealed spelling variations, including
Fogarty, O'Fogarty, Foggarty, Fogherty, Foguety, Foggerty, Fogerty and many
more.
First found in county Tipperary, where they held a family seat from ancient
times.
The 19th century saw a great wave of Irish migrating out of their homeland in a
great measure due to the oppressive imperial policies of the English government
and landowners. Many of these Irish Families sailed to North America aboard
overcrowded passenger ships. By far, the largest influx of Irish immigrants to
North America occured with Great Potato Famine during the late 1840s. These
particular immigrants were instrumental in creation of the United States and
Canada as major industrial nations because the many essential elements such as
the roadways, canals, bridges, and railways required an enormous quantity of
cheap labor, which these poor immigrants provided. Later generations of Irish in
these countries also went on to make valuable contributions in such fields as
the arts, commerce, politics, and education. Extensive research into immigration
and passenger lists has revealed many early immigrants bearing the name O
Fogarty: Cornelius Fogarty who settled in Virginia in 1774; Patrick and Mary
Fogarty settled in New England in 1761; Daniel, James, John, Michael, Thomas and
Timothy Fogerty arrived in Philadelphia between 1840 and 1860. Mathew Fogarty
settled in Boston in 1849..