Frequency: (4195)
(number of times this surname appears in a sample database of 88.7 million names, representing one third of the 1997 US population)
1. Irish: variant of Fahey.
2. Irish: variant of Fee.
3. French: nickname, from Old French foi ‘faith’ (Latin fides), either for a pious person or for someone who frequently used this term in oaths.
4. French: from the medieval female personal name Foy, which is from foi ‘faith’, as above.
See the Key to the Dictionary or consult the General Introduction for further explanation.
