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Irish surname

Foy: Irish Surname History & Coat of Arms

Ó Fathaigh / Ó Fiaich · Ó Fathaigh: 'descendant of Fathadh' (older fothadh, 'foundation'); Ó Fiaich: 'descendant of Fiach' (raven)

Woulfe (1923) prints Foy among the anglicised forms of two separate Irish names: Ó Fathaigh, a family of Ui Maine in Co. Galway, and Ó Fiaich, an ecclesiastical family of Ulster who were erenaghs of Derrybrusk near Enniskillen. He also gives Foy as a form of the shortened Ó Faith. In 1890, 38 Foy birth entries were registered in Ireland.

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Coat of arms associated with the Foy surname
Irish formÓ Fathaigh / Ó Fiaich
MeaningÓ Fathaigh: 'descendant of Fathadh' (older fothadh, 'foundation'); Ó Fiaich: 'descendant of Fiach' (raven)
CountiesGalway, Tipperary, Mayo, Cavan
Other spellings5
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Foy crest gifts

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Origin of the Foy name

Woulfe prints Foy under (1) Ó Fathaigh, a family of Ui Maine in Galway (patrimony Poblewinterfahy, barony of Loughrea) with another 'old and respectable family' in Tipperary; and (2) Ó Fiaich, an ecclesiastical family in Ulster, erenaghs of Derrybrusk near Enniskillen. No single origin applies to every bearer.[1][2]

  1. 1482Four Masters: Gilchreest O'Fiaich, Vicar of Aire-Broscaigh, a learned clergyman, died.[6]
  2. 1506Four Masters: John O'Fiaich, Erenagh of the third part of Airech-Broscaigh (Derrybrusk), died.[7]
  3. 1514Four Masters: Hugh, son of Gilchreest O'Fiaich, Vicar of Airidhbrosca (Derrybrusk), died.[8]
  4. 189038 Foy birth entries in Ireland: Leinster 8, Munster 2, Ulster 14, Connaught 14.[4]

Where in Ireland

Co. GalwayWoulfe: Ó Fathaigh, a family of Ui Maine, patrimony Poblewinterfahy in the barony of Loughrea.[1]
Co. TipperaryWoulfe: 'an old and respectable family' of the name Ó Fathaigh.[1]
Co. MayoMatheson 1890: first of the counties in which Foy was principally found.[4]
Co. CavanMatheson 1890: one of the counties in which Foy was principally found.[4]
Co. DublinMatheson 1890: one of the counties in which Foy was principally found.[4]

Other spellings

Fay · Fahy · Fahey · Fey · Fye[1][2][5]

The Foy coat of arms

The design shown is a coat of arms associated with the Foy surname. In Irish and British heraldry a coat of arms is granted to one person and passes to their heirs; it does not belong to everyone who shares the surname. Many families still use the arms of their name as a symbol of their heritage.

Foy surname: questions

What does the surname Foy mean?

Woulfe prints Foy under two Irish names. Ó Fathaigh is 'descendant of Fathadh' (older fothadh, 'foundation'); Ó Fiaich is 'descendant of Fiach' (raven). He also gives Foy as a form of Ó Faith, a shortened form of Ó Fathaigh.[1][2][3]

Is Foy the same name as Fahy or Fay?

Woulfe lists Fay, Fahy and Fahey with Foy among the anglicised forms of Ó Fathaigh, and Fay, Fey, Fye and Foy among the forms of Ó Fiaich. Matheson's list of varieties also prints Foy under Fay.[1][2][5]

Where in Ireland is the Foy name from?

Woulfe says the Ó Fathaigh family were of Ui Maine in Co. Galway, with another family in Tipperary, while the Ó Fiaich were erenaghs of Derrybrusk near Enniskillen and are also found in Munster and Connacht. In 1890 Matheson gave Mayo, Cavan and Dublin as the counties in which Foy was principally found.[1][2][4]

Sources

  1. Ó FATHAIGH — Irish Names and Surnames (Rev. Patrick Woulfe, 1923), transcribed, LibraryIreland.com. libraryireland.com/names/of/o-fathaigh.php
  2. Ó FIAICH — Irish Names and Surnames (Woulfe, 1923), transcribed, LibraryIreland.com. libraryireland.com/names/of/o-fiaich.php
  3. Ó FAITH — Irish Names and Surnames (Woulfe, 1923), transcribed, LibraryIreland.com. libraryireland.com/names/of/o-faith.php
  4. Foy — Birth Indexes of 1890 — Special Report on Surnames in Ireland (Robert E. Matheson, 1909), transcribed, LibraryIreland.com. libraryireland.com/matheson/report/births/foy.php
  5. Fay — Varieties and Synonymes of Surnames and Christian Names in Ireland (Robert E. Matheson, 1901), transcribed, LibraryIreland.com. libraryireland.com/matheson/varieties/list/589.php
  6. Annals of the Four Masters (trans. John O'Donovan), 1482 — CELT edition, CELT, University College Cork. celt.ucc.ie/published/T100005D/text011.html
  7. Annals of the Four Masters (trans. John O'Donovan), 1506 — CELT edition, CELT, University College Cork. celt.ucc.ie/published/T100005E/text001.html
  8. Annals of the Four Masters (trans. John O'Donovan), 1514 — CELT edition, CELT, University College Cork. celt.ucc.ie/published/T100005E/text002.html

Note: Matheson's 1890 figures for a surname include its spelling varieties (Matheson, Table Explanation).