# Folley (surname)

Source: https://namelineage.com/surname/folley/  
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 Old French.

| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| Origin | French |
| Type | place, taken from where an ancestor lived or came from |
| People in the US (2010 Census) | 541 |
| US rank (2010) | 40,432 of 162,253 |
| How often | about 1 in every 570,694 people |
| Change since 2000 | -3.9% (563 in 2000) |
| Pronunciation | not recorded |
| Variant spellings | none recorded |

## Etymology

Two main origins: * English topographic surname from Old French feuillie (“leafy bower or shelter; clump of trees”). * English nickname for an eccentric or foolish person, from Old French folie (“foolishness”).

## Who carries it

Share of people named Folley 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) | 74% |
| Black (not Hispanic) | 20% |
| Hispanic or Latino (any race) | 2.6% |
| Two or more races | 2.2% |

## Where

Wikidata records people named Folley in the United States.

## People named Folley

- Zora Folley, American boxer (1931–1972)

## Similar surnames

Foley, Filley, Fell, Fall, Feeley, Faul, Fiala, Fewell, Fly, Failla, File, Feely.

## 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.