Folley Family History

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Folley Name Meaning

habitational name from any of the minor places in Wiltshire, Warwickshire, and other counties called (The) Folly, usually from Middle English folie in the sense ‘folly’, ‘foolish enterprise’, but otherwise from Old French feuillie ‘leafy bower or shelter’, later ‘clump of trees’. In some cases, the name may be topographic. nickname for an eccentric or foolish person, from Old French folie ‘foolishness’.

Source: Dictionary of American Family Names ©2013, Oxford University Press


Similar surnames: Hollen, Filley, Holley, Boller, Olney, Gulley, Willey, Tilley, Onley

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Folley Family Origin

Where is the Folley family from?

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You can see how Folley families moved over time by selecting different census years. The Folley family name was found in the USA, the UK, Canada, and Scotland between 1840 and 1920. The most Folley families were found in the USA in 1880. In 1911 there were 12 Folley families living in Ontario. This was about 38% of all the recorded Folley's in Canada. Ontario had the highest population of Folley families in 1911.
Use census records and voter lists to see where families with the Folley surname lived. Within census records, you can often find information like name of household members, ages, birthplaces, residences, and occupations.

View Census Data for Folley

Folley Family Occupations

What did your Folley ancestors do for a living?

In 1881, the most common Folley occupation in Canada was Farmer. 25% of Folley's were Farmers. Farmer, Labourer and Printer were the top 3 reported jobs worked by Folley. A less common occupation for the Folley family was Seamstress.

View Census data for Folley | Data not to scale

  • Farmer

    25%

  • Labourer

    13%

  • Printer

    13%

  • Seamstress

    13%

Census records can tell you a lot of little known facts about your Folley ancestors, such as occupation. Occupation can tell you about your ancestor's social and economic status.

Folley Historical Records

What Folley family records will you find?

Census Record

There are 16,000 census records available for the last name Folley. Like a window into their day-to-day life, Folley census records can tell you where and how your ancestors worked, their level of education, veteran status, and more.

Search 1881 Canadian census records for Folley

Passenger List

There are 1,000 immigration records available for the last name Folley. Passenger lists are your ticket to knowing when your ancestors arrived in Canada, and how they made the journey - from the ship name to ports of arrival and departure.

View all Folley immigration records

Draft Card

There are 1,000 military records available for the last name Folley. For the veterans among your Folley ancestors, military collections provide insights into where and when they served, and even physical descriptions.

View all Folley military records

You've only scratched the surface of Folley family history.

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Folley Life Expectancy

What is the average Folley lifespan?

Between 1957 and 2004, in the United States, Folley life expectancy was at its lowest point in 1975, and highest in 2000. The average life expectancy for Folley in 1957 was 59, and 59 in 2004.

View Social Security Death Index (SSDI) for Folley

An unusually short lifespan might indicate that your Folley 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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