Foley Family History
Foley Name 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