indicate the level to which a name has been verified.Type Surname (from location)
Usage Anglo-Saxon
Other Forms FormsFernihough, Ferneyhough, Fernyhough, Fernehough, Ferneyhaugh, Fernihaugh, Fernough, Ferneyhow, Fernihow, and Fyrnyhough.
Meaning & History
The surname Ferneyhough is of Anglo-Saxon origin and is a topographic surname for someone who lived in a "Fernhöhle," which translates to a distance hollow or cave. The name is derived from the Old English words "fearn," meaning fern, before the 7th century, and "hol(h)," meaning hollow or depression in the ground. In the Scottish dialect, a modern equivalent of this word would be "howe," representing a hollow place or depression.It is possible that the name Ferneyhough, or one of its modern variants, originated from a now "lost" place that is believed to have been located in Staffordshire, near the border of Cheshire,