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Foy History Etymology Early Origins Early History Spelling Variations Early Notables Ranking

United States Australia New Zealand West Indies South Africa

Contemporary Notables Historic Events Related Stories Sources

Foy History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
France-Alt
France
Ireland

Etymology of Foy

What does the name Foy mean?

The surname Foy originally appeared in Gaelic as "O Fiaich," derived from the word "fiach," which means "raven."

Early Origins of the Foy family

The surname Foy was first found in County Cavan, north Connacht, and Fermanagh, where they held a family seat from very ancient times.

Early History of the Foy family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Foy research. Another 77 words (6 lines of text) covering the years 1172 and 1707 are included under the topic Early Foy History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Foy Spelling Variations

Many spelling variations of the surname Foy can be found in the archives. One reason for these variations is that ancient scribes and church officials recorded names as they were pronounced, often resulting in a single person being recorded under several different spellings. The different spellings that were found include Foy, Fee, Fye, Fey and others.

Early Notables of the Foy family

Notable amongst the family name at this time was

Nathaniel Foy (d. 1707), Bishop of Waterford and Lismore...

Foy Ranking

In the United States, the name Foy is the 2,894^th most popular surname with an estimated 9,948 people with that name. 1 However, in France, the name Foy is ranked the 9,140^th most popular surname with an estimated 500 - 1,000 people with that name. 2

Foy migration to the United States +

A great mass of Ireland's native population left the island in the 19th century, seeking relief from various forms of social, religious, and economic discrimination. This Irish exodus was primarily to North America. If the migrants survived the long ocean journey, many unfortunately would find more discrimination in the colonies of British North America and the fledgling United States of America. These newly arrived Irish were, however, wanted as a cheap source of labor for the many large agricultural and industrial projects that were essential to the development of what would become two of the wealthiest nations in the western world. Early immigration and passenger lists indicate many people bearing the Foy name:

Foy Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

Alec Foy, who landed in Virginia in 1657 3
Elizabeth Foy, who arrived in Virginia in 1662 3
Margaret Foy, who arrived in Maryland in 1674 3

Foy Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

Garret Foy, who landed in Virginia in 1723 3
Margaret Foy who settled in Maryland in 1732
Patrick Foy, who settled in New England in 1764
Charles Foy, who arrived in Pennsylvania in 1773
Charles Foy, aged 18, who arrived in Pennsylvania in 1775 3

Foy Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Terrance Foy, who landed in South Carolina in 1808 3
Terrence Foy, who arrived in South Carolina in 1808 3
John Foy, who landed in America in 1812 3
Henry Foy, who arrived in America in 1812 3
Betsey Foy, aged 25, who arrived in America in 1821 3
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Foy migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Foy Settlers in Canada in the 18th Century

William Foy, who landed in Nova Scotia in 1749
Eliza Foy, who landed in Nova Scotia in 1750
William Foy, who landed in Nova Scotia in 1750

Foy Settlers in Canada in the 19th Century

Mary Foy, who arrived in Nova Scotia in 1829
John Foy, aged 30, a farmer, who arrived in Saint John, New Brunswick in 1833 aboard the brig "Ugoni" from Belfast, Ireland
Biddy Foy, aged 24, who arrived in Saint John, New Brunswick in 1833 aboard the brig "Ugoni" from Belfast, Ireland
Bryan Foy, aged 28, a labourer, who arrived in Saint John, New Brunswick in 1833 aboard the brig "Ugoni" from Belfast, Ireland
Mr. Bernard Foy, aged 50 who immigrated to Canada, arriving at the Grosse Isle Quarantine Station in Quebec aboard the ship "Free Trader" departing from the port of Liverpool, England but died on Grosse Isle in August 1847 4
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Foy migration to Australia +

Emigration to Australia followed the First Fleets of convicts, tradespeople and early settlers. Early immigrants include:

Foy Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

Edward Foy, a tailor, who arrived in New South Wales, Australia sometime between 1825 and 1832
James Foy, a carpenter, who arrived in Van Diemenâ€™s Land (now Tasmania) sometime between 1825 and 1832
Mrs. Jane Foy, (b. 1797), aged 29, Irish servant who was convicted in Dublin, Ireland for 7 years for stealing, transported aboard the "Brothers" on 3rd October 1826, arriving in New South Wales, Australia, listed as having 4 children 5
Miss Margaret Foy, (b. 1810), aged 19, Irish nurse girl who was convicted in Dublin, Ireland for 7 years for stealing, transported aboard the "Edward" on 1st January 1829, arriving in New South Wales, Australia 6
Miss Alice Foy, (b. 1814), aged 23, Irish house maid who was convicted in Monaghan, Ireland for 7 years for robbery, transported aboard the "Diamond" on 29th November 1837, arriving in New South Wales, Australia 7
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Foy migration to New Zealand +

Emigration to New Zealand followed in the footsteps of the European explorers, such as Captain Cook (1769-70): first came sealers, whalers, missionaries, and traders. By 1838, the British New Zealand Company had begun buying land from the Maori tribes, and selling it to settlers, and, after the Treaty of Waitangi in 1840, many British families set out on the arduous six month journey from Britain to Aotearoa to start a new life. Early immigrants include:

Foy Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century

Mr. Foy, British settler travelling from London aboard the ship "George Fyffe" arriving in Wellington, New Zealand on 7th November 1842 8
Mrs. Foy, British settler travelling from London with 5 children aboard the ship "George Fyffe" arriving in Wellington, New Zealand on 7th November 1842 8
Mr. James Foy, (b. 1805), aged 44, British settler, born in London arriving as part of the 8th Detachment of the Royal New Zealand Fencibles travelling from Gravesend aboard the ship "Oriental Queen" arriving in Auckland, New Zealand on 18th September 1849 9
Mrs. Mary Ann Foy née Daniels, (b. 1805), aged 44, British settler, born in London travelling from Gravesend aboard the ship "Oriental Queen" arriving in Auckland, New Zealand on 18th September 1849 9
Miss Emily Teresa Foy, (b. 1838), aged 11, British settler, born in London travelling from Gravesend aboard the ship "Oriental Queen" arriving in Auckland, New Zealand on 18th September 1849 9
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Foy migration to West Indies +

The British first settled the British West Indies around 1604. They made many attempts but failed in some to establish settlements on the Islands including Saint Lucia and Grenada. By 1627 they had managed to establish settlements on St. Kitts (St. Christopher) and Barbados, but by 1641 the Spanish had moved in and destroyed some of these including those at Providence Island. The British continued to expand the settlements including setting the First Federation in the British West Indies by 1674; some of the islands include Barbados, Bermuda, Cayman Island, Turks and Caicos, Jamaica and Belize then known as British Honduras. By the 1960's many of the islands became independent after the West Indies Federation which existed from 1958 to 1962 failed due to internal political conflicts. After this a number of Eastern Caribbean islands formed a free association. 10

Foy Settlers in West Indies in the 17th Century

John Foy, who settled in Barbados in 1654
Hugh Foy, who settled in Barbados in 1680

Contemporary Notables of the name Foy (post 1700) +

Shirley Bunnie Foy (1936-2016), also known as Bunny Foy, an American jazz singer, percussionist and songwriter
Frederick William "Fred" Foy (1921-2010), American radio and television announcer best known for his narration of The Lone Ranger
Mary Foy, American librarian
Laura Foy (b. 1976), American television host
Eddie Foy (1856-1928), American vaudeville actor and comedian
Robert W. Foy, American fighter pilot and flying ace in the U.S. Army Air Forces, during World War II, credited with 15 aerial victories
Des Foy (b. 1963), Irish rugby player
Maximilien Sébastien Foy, French Divisional General during the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars from 1789 to 1815 11
David R Foy, President and Chief executive officer and director of Phillips Cables Ltd since 1985
Peter Foy (1925-2005), English stage-flight-effects specialist
... (Another 4 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Historic Events for the Foy family +

HMS Repulse

Mr. Charles James Foy, British Ordinary Seaman, who sailed into battle on the HMS Repulse (1941) and died in the sinking 12

Sources +

"What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
http://www.journaldesfemmes.com/nom-de-famille/nom/
Filby, P. William, Meyer, Mary K., Passenger and immigration lists index : a guide to published arrival records of about 500,000 passengers who came to the United States and Canada in the seventeenth, eighteenth, and nineteenth centuries. 1982-1985 Cumulated Supplements in Four Volumes Detroit, Mich. : Gale Research Co., 1985, Print (ISBN 0-8103-1795-8)
Charbonneau, André, and Doris Drolet-Dubé. A Register of Deceased Persons at Sea and on Grosse Île in 1847. The Minister of Canadian Heritage, 1997. ISBN: 0-660-198/1-1997E (p. 29)
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 3rd November 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/brothers
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 19th November 2021). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/edward
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 1st July 2021). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/Diamond
New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 17th October 2018). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html
New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 26th March 2019). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_West_Indies
Generals Who Served in the French Army during the Period 1789-1815. (Retrieved 2015, March 4) Maximilien Foy. Retrieved from http://www.napoleon-series.org/research/c_frenchgenerals.html
HMS Repulse Crew members. (Retrieved 2014, April 9) . Retrieved from http://www.forcez-survivors.org.uk/biographies/listrepulsecrew.html