Foille History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
Ireland

The Anglo-Norman Conquest of Ireland lead by Strongbow introduced the first non-Gaelic elements into Irish nomenclature. These Anglo-Normans brought some traditions to Ireland that were not readily found within Gaelic system of hereditary surnames. One of the best examples of this is the local surname. Local surnames, such as Foille, were taken from the name of a place or a geographical feature where the person lived, held land, or was born. These surnames were very common in England, but were almost non-existent within Ireland previous to the conquest. The earliest surnames of this type came from Normandy, but as the Normans moved, they often created names in reference to where they actually resided. Therefore, some settlers eventually took names from Irish places. Originally, these place names were prefixed by de, which means from in French. This type of prefix was eventually either made a part of the surname, if the place name began with a vowel, or was eliminated entirely. The Foille family originally lived near a pit, an excavation, or a manmade hollow. The surname Foille is derived from the Old French word "fouille," which means "pit." This is a derivative of the verb "fouillir," which means "to dig up" or "to excavate." This pit may have been a lime-pit or clay-pit or a hole in to which refuse was thrown. The surname Foille belongs to the large category of Anglo-Norman habitation names, which are derived from pre-existing names for towns, villages, parishes, or farmsteads.

Early Origins of the Foille family

The surname Foille was first found in Hampshire, where they held a family seat from ancient times, some say they were granted lands by William the Conqueror after his conquest of England in 1066, and the name is believed to be derived from the French Fouille, "an excavation."

"Though apparently Irish, perhaps through association with the Ulster lough and river and other Irish place-names so called-as a surname Foyle is not Irish in origin, but is derived from the French fouille (excavation) and first appears in mediaeval England as atte Foyle. As Foyle and Foyll it occurs in early Dublin city records at least once in the thirteenth century and quite frequently in the fourteenth, but less often in the fifteenth and sixteenth: throughout that period the family had continuous association with the parish of St. Werburgh's." 1

Early History of the Foille family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Foille research. Another 144 words (10 lines of text) covering the years 1172 and 1664 are included under the topic Early Foille History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Foille Spelling Variations

Medieval scribes and church officials spelt names simply the way they sounded, which explains the various name spelling variations of the name Foille that were encountered when researching that surname. The many spelling variations included: Foyle, Foile, Foille, Foylle and others.

Early Notables of the Foille family

More information is included under the topic Early Foille Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Foille family

During the middle of the 19th century, Irish families often experienced extreme poverty and racial discrimination in their own homeland under English rule. Record numbers died of disease and starvation and many others, deciding against such a fate, boarded ships bound for North America. The largest influx of Irish settlers occurred with Great Potato Famine of the late 1840s. Unfortunately, many of those Irish that arrived in Canada or the United States still experienced economic and racial discrimination. Although often maligned, these Irish people were essential to the rapid development of these countries because they provided the cheap labor required for the many canals, roads, railways, and other projects required for strong national infrastructures. Eventually the Irish went on to make contributions in the less backbreaking and more intellectual arenas of commerce, education, and the arts. Research early immigration and passenger lists revealed many early immigrants bearing the name Foille: Edward Foyle who settled in Philadelphia in 1836; Samuel Foyle settled in Philadelphia in 1873; and John Foyle arrived in Philadelphia in 1877.

Citations +

MacLysaght, Edward, Supplement to Irish Families. Baltimore: Genealogical Book Company, 1964. Print.