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Foley Family History

Foley Surname Meaning

Irish (southern): shortened Anglicized form of Gaelic Ó Foghladha ‘descendant of Foghlaidh’ a byname meaning ‘pirate marauder plunderer’.

Irish (northern): Anglicized form of Gaelic Mac Searraigh (see McSharry) chosen because of its phonetic approximation to English foal.

Mac Searraigh is derived from a personal name based on searrach ‘foal’.

English (of Norman origin): variant of Folley.

Source: Dictionary of American Family Names 2nd edition, 2022


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Where is the Foley family from?

You can see how Foley families moved over time by selecting different census years. The Foley family name was found in the USA, the UK, Canada, and Scotland between 1840 and 1920. The most Foley families were found in USA in 1880. In 1891 there were 841 Foley families living in Lancashire. This was about 25% of all the recorded Foley's in United Kingdom. Lancashire had the highest population of Foley families in 1891.
Use census records and voter lists to see where families with the Foley surname lived. Within census records, you can often find information like name of household members, ages, birthplaces, residences, and occupations.
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What did your Foley ancestors do for a living?

In 1939, General Labourer and Unpaid Domestic Duties were the top reported jobs for men and women in the United Kingdom named Foley. 15% of Foley men worked as a General Labourer and 64% of Foley women worked as an Unpaid Domestic Duties. Some less common occupations for Americans named Foley were Bricklayer and Incapacitated.

View Census Data for Foley | Data not to scale

*We display top occupations by gender to maintain their historical accuracy during times when men and women often performed different jobs.

Top Male Occupations In 1939

  • General Labourer
    15%
  • Builders Labourer
    6%
  • Incapacitated
    4%
  • Bricklayer
    4%

Top Female Occupations In 1939

  • Unpaid Domestic Duties
    64%
  • Domestic Servant
    3%
  • Unpaid Domestic
    2%
  • Incapacitated
    2%

What Foley family records will you find?

Census Records

There are 406,000 census records available for the last name Foley. Like a window into their day-to-day life, Foley census records can tell you where and how your ancestors worked, their level of education, veteran status, and more.

Search UK census records for Foley

Passenger Lists

There are 76,000 immigration records available for the last name Foley. Passenger lists are your ticket to knowing when your ancestors arrived in the UK, and how they made the journey - from the ship name to ports of arrival and departure.

View all Foley immigration records

Draft Cards

There are 72,000 military records available for the last name Foley. For the veterans among your Foley ancestors, military collections provide insights into where and when they served, and even physical descriptions.

View all Foley military records

You've only scratched the surface of Foley family history

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What is the average Foley lifespan?

Between 1942 and 2004, in the United States, Foley life expectancy was at its lowest point in 1944, and highest in 2004. The average life expectancy for Foley in 1942 was 52, and 76 in 2004.

View Social Security Death Index (SSDI) for Foley

An unusually short lifespan might indicate that your Foley ancestors lived in harsh conditions. A short lifespan might also indicate health problems that were once prevalent in your family. The SSDI is a searchable database of more than 70 million names. You can find birthdates, death dates, addresses and more.

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