Foy History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms 

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  Ireland 


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

Foy Ranking

In the United States, the name Foy is the 2,894th most popular surname with an estimated 9,948 people with that name. 1 However, in France, the name Foy is ranked the 9,140th 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
Foy Settlers in United States in the 18th Century
Foy Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Foy migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Foy Settlers in Canada in the 18th Century
Foy Settlers in Canada in the 19th Century

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

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

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

Contemporary Notables of the name Foy (post 1700) +
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