Find out how popular the last name Foy is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Foy.

Foy, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Foy surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Foy in America

Foy is the 2786th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Foy surname appeared 12,952 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 4 people would have the surname Foy.

We can also compare 2010 data for Foy to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name Foy

The surname Foy has its origins in medieval France, where it first emerged in the region of Normandy during the 11th century. Derived from the Old French word "fouee," meaning a small forest or thicket, the name likely referred to someone who lived near or worked in a wooded area.

One of the earliest known references to the Foy surname can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, which recorded landowners and tenants in England following the Norman Conquest. The name appears as "Foy" and "Foye," suggesting it had already taken root in both France and England by this time.

In the 12th century, the name Foy was documented in various historical records, including the Pipe Rolls of Lincolnshire in 1166, where a certain Robert Foy was mentioned. During this period, the surname also appeared in different spellings, such as "Foye," "Foix," and "Foyez," reflecting regional variations in pronunciation and spelling conventions.

One notable figure bearing the Foy surname was Sir Thomas Foy (c. 1409-1483), a prominent English knight and courtier during the Wars of the Roses. He served under King Edward IV and was appointed Lieutenant of the Tower of London in 1471.

Another historical figure was François de Foix (1512-1594), a French nobleman and diplomat who played a significant role in the French Wars of Religion. He served as the Ambassador of France to England and was a prominent figure in the court of King Henry IV.

In the 17th century, the Foy surname gained recognition through the exploits of Captain William Foy (c. 1630-1692), an English privateer and sailor who gained fame for his daring exploits during the Anglo-Dutch Wars.

The name Foy also has connections to various place names, including the town of Foy in the Vendée department of western France, as well as Foy-Notre-Dame and Foy-Saint-Sulpice, both located in the Seine-Maritime region of Normandy.

Throughout history, several other individuals with the Foy surname have made notable contributions, such as James Foy (1796-1865), an Irish-born American architect who designed several prominent buildings in New York City, and Sir Raphael Foy (1897-1958), a British Army officer who served in both World Wars and was awarded the Military Cross for his bravery.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Foy

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Foy.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Foy was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Foy has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Foy was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Foy, please contact us.

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