# Foley (surname)

Source: https://namelineage.com/surname/foley/  
Publisher: Name Lineage. Counts from the US Census Bureau; origin and etymology from Wiktionary; bearers from Wikidata. Data updated 2026-11-11.

A surname from Irish.

| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| Origin | Irish |
| Type | patronymic, formed from a father’s (or ancestor’s) given name |
| People in the US (2010 Census) | 51,865 |
| US rank (2010) | 661 of 162,253 |
| How often | about 1 in every 5,953 people |
| Change since 2000 | +2.0% (50,852 in 2000) |
| Pronunciation | /ˈfoʊli/, 2 syllables |
| Variant spellings | none recorded |

## Etymology

Reduced Anglicized form of Irish Ó Foghladha (“descendant of Foghlaidh”), a byname from foghlaí (“plunderer, pillager, marauder, robber”).

## Who carries it

Share of people named Foley in the 2010 US Census by the Census's own race and ethnicity groups. The Census suppresses a share when the count behind it is small.

| Group | Share |
|---|---|
| White (not Hispanic) | 92% |
| Black (not Hispanic) | 3.3% |
| Hispanic or Latino (any race) | 2.1% |
| Asian and Pacific Islander | 0.7% |
| American Indian and Alaska Native | 0.3% |
| Two or more races | 1.5% |

## Where

Wikidata records people named Foley in the United States, the United Kingdom and Australia.

## People named Foley

- Scott Foley, American actor
- Mick Foley, American professional wrestler
- James Foley, American journalist
- James Foley, American film director and screenwriter (1953–2025)
- John Patrick Foley, American Roman Catholic archbishop and cardinal (1935–2011)
- Tom Foley, American politician from Washington (1929–2013)
- Ellen Foley, American singer and actress
- Red Foley, American country musician (1910–1968)
- Hugh Foley, American rower
- Jeremy Foley, American actor
- Clare Foley, American actress
- Jack Foley, American sound effects developer

and 7 more on Wikidata.

## Similar surnames

Fawley, Filley, Folley, Fell, Fall, Feeley, Faul, Fiala, Fewell, Fly, Failla, File.

## How to read these numbers

A Census count is people alive and counted in 2010, not births, and names occurring fewer than 100 times are not published at all. Ethnicity shares are the Census's own categories.