FOLEY - The surname Foley derives from Ó Foghladha, the name of a sept which originated in Co. Waterford. Foley now ranks amoung the hundred commonest surnames in Ireland but its distribution is very noticeably heaviest in Munster. (5)

Irish: 1. Anglicized form of Gael. Ó Foghladha 'descendant of Foghlaidh`, a byname meaning 'Pirate`, 'Marauder`.

2. Anglicized form of Gael. Mac. Seearraigh (see McSharry), chosen because of its phonetic approximation to Eng. foal.

Vars. (of 1): O'Folowe, O'Foley. (1)

Dim. (of 1): Folan.

FOLLEVILLE, from the name of a place in Picardy. The family was seated in Leicestershire in the reign of King Stephen. Probably Foley and Folly come from that name. The ancestor of Lord Foley was but a common workman, yet he may have been descended from the Sieur de Folleville. (3)

Researching: Ernest Joseph Foley b.1864 d.1949 Casino/NSW