UK boy's name
Foy
An English surname derived from a Norman French place name referring to beech trees.
For 2026, the newest official UK baby-name figures on this page are from 2018. That release is the current official benchmark rather than a forecast.
Foy is a boy's name in the UK records. People looking for Foy popularity in 2026 should use the latest official release, which is 2018 in this profile. In that release it ranked #3959, with 4 babies registered with the name. Its strongest year in the published records was 2018, with 4 births.
This profile covers 10 England and Wales registrations across 3 recorded years from 2014 to 2018. The figures come from ONS England and Wales, so the page is a view of published baby-name registrations rather than a forecast or a live count of people using the name today.
Foy is at its recorded peak in the England and Wales series.
We estimate that about 10 living people in the UK are called Foy. This uses published birth registrations from England and Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland, then applies ONS national life tables to estimate how many are likely still alive. It does not forecast extra births for 2019 or 2026.
Key insights
- • Foy ranked #3959 for boys in England and Wales in 2018, with 4 registrations.
- • The name peaked in 2018, when 4 boys were registered as Foy.
- • About 10 living people in the UK are estimated to have Foy as a first name, after adjusting past birth registrations with ONS life tables.
Latest rank (E&W)
#3959
2018
Births in 2018
4
Latest year
Peak year
2018
4 births
Estimated living
10
2026
Meaning
What does Foy mean?
The name Foy originates from the Old French word "fei", meaning faith or belief. It has its roots in the Latin word "fides", which also means faith or trust. The name Foy was commonly used in medieval France and England during the 12th and 13th centuries.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Foy can be found in the Domesday Book, a great survey of land ownership in England commissioned by William the Conqueror in 1086. The name appears as "Foy de Montfort", referring to a Norman nobleman who held lands in Warwickshire.
In the 12th century, Foy de Lusignan was a French nobleman and crusader who participated in the Third Crusade. He was captured by Saladin's forces during the Battle of Hattin in 1187 and later ransomed.
Saint Foy (also known as St. Faith or St. Fides) was a young Christian girl who was martyred in the 3rd or 4th century during the Diocletianic Persecution. She was widely venerated in medieval Europe, and several churches and monasteries were dedicated to her.
In the 15th century, Foy de la Neuville was a French military commander who fought for the Burgundian faction during the latter stages of the Hundred Years' War. He was present at the Battle of Agincourt in 1415.
Another notable figure with the name Foy was Foy Vaillant, a French goldsmith and sculptor who lived in the late 16th and early 17th centuries. He is best known for his intricate gold and silver vessels, which are now housed in various museums around the world.
The name Foy was not as widely used after the 17th century, but it continued to appear occasionally throughout history. For example, Foy Codrington was a British naval officer who served during the American Revolutionary War and the Napoleonic Wars in the late 18th and early 19th centuries.
Sourced from namecensus.com.
Popularity
Foy over time
The chart below shows babies named Foy registered in England and Wales in the years where the name appears in the published records, from 2014 to 2018. Empty years are left out so rare names are not stretched across long periods where the published files do not show any registrations.
For Foy, the clearest high point is 2018. The latest England and Wales figure is 4 births in 2018, compared with 4 at the peak.
Babies born per year
Decades
Foy by decade
Decade totals smooth out the yearly jumps and make it easier to see whether Foy was a short-lived spike or a name that stayed in regular use. Average rank is calculated only from years where a published rank exists.
| Decade | Average rank | Total births | Years covered |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2010s | #4468 | 10 | 3 |
Related
Names similar to Foy
- Freddie 46,945
- Finley 42,410
- Frederick 19,866
- Finlay 17,879
- Frankie 17,528
- Finn 14,413
- Felix 14,361
- Fraser 6,470
- Flynn 6,170
- Frank 5,992
- Filip 5,876
- Francis 5,744
FAQ
Foy: questions and answers
How popular is the name Foy in the UK right now?
In 2018, Foy was ranked #3959 for boys in England and Wales, with 4 births registered.
When was Foy most popular?
The peak year on record was 2018, with 4 babies registered as Foy in England and Wales.
What is the meaning and origin of Foy?
An English surname derived from a Norman French place name referring to beech trees.
How many people are called Foy in the UK?
A total of 10 babies have been registered as Foy across the 3 years of ONS England & Wales records shown here.
Which records is this page based on?
The England and Wales timeline uses ONS baby-name records. Scotland figures come from NRS and Northern Ireland figures come from NISRA. Counts are registrations in published baby-name files. The living estimate uses those birth registrations with ONS national life tables.