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Home › Baby Names Directory › Foy

Foy

♂ Boy

How to Pronounce Foy

Pronounced FOY /ˈfɔɪ/High

Meaning: Foy is a surname-turned-first-name from the Old French foi, 'faith,' originally a nickname or a reference to Saint Faith (Sainte Foy). Brief and bright, it saw modest use as a Southern given name in the early twentieth century, carrying its quiet 'faith' meaning in a single beat.Low

In 30 seconds: Foy is a surname from the Old French 'faith.' It peaked around 1921 and reads as a short vintage Southern name.
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Origin LowFrench, English
MeaningFoy is a surname-turned-first-name from the Old French foi, 'faith,' originally a nickname or a reference to Saint Faith (Sainte Foy). Brief and bright, it saw modest use as a Southern given name in the early twentieth century, carrying its quiet 'faith' meaning in a single beat.
U.S. rank (2005)#10528 ↘ Falling
2005 U.S. births6 boys (0.00% of U.S. boys)
Peak year1921
Total births (all-time)≈ 2,112

Popularity in the U.S. · SSA data

peak 192118892005

U.S. births per year (Social Security Administration, 1880–present). Pink marker = peak year.

SSA data updated May 2026. How we source & verify this data.

History & Origin

Foy is a surname from the Old French foi, 'faith,' linked to the veneration of Saint Faith. It appeared as a short, distinctive given name in the early-twentieth-century South, valued for its crisp single beat.

Foy crested around 1921 at roughly seventy boys a year and faded across the century, thinning by the two-thousands. A Foy from the peak would be past a hundred today. It reads as a vintage one-syllable name and has not revived.

Did you know? Foy honors Saint Faith — Sainte Foy in French — through a surname that became a homey one-syllable first name in the American South.
Overall data confidence 53%
References — Foy — Surname from Old French foi 'faith' (Saint Faith); 1920s Southern name

Variations

FoyeFoiFay

Nicknames

Foy

Famous Bearers

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If you like Foy…

Roy— a like one-syllable vintage boy's name
Coy— a rhyming short vintage name
Floyd— a same-era brief boy's name
Loy— a comparable single-beat vintage name

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Frequently Asked

What does the name Foy mean?

Foy comes from the Old French foi, 'faith,' linked to Saint Faith.

How do you pronounce Foy?

It's said FOY /ˈfɔɪ/ — one syllable.

Is Foy a boy or girl name?

Foy was used mainly as a boy's name.

How popular is Foy?

Foy was an uncommon vintage name that peaked in the early nineteen-twenties and has grown rare since.

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