# Foley (surname)

Foley is a surname which originated in Ireland, in the southeast Munster region. The name is derived from the original modern Irish Ó Foghlú and older Irish Ó Foghladha, meaning "plunderer". The Lord of the Decies (the Waterford area of Munster) was a title attributed to some early Foleys.

## People

* Adrian Foley, 8th Baron Foley (1923–2012), British composer
* Anthony Foley (1973–2016), Irish rugby player
* Bernard Foley (born 1989), Australian rugby player
* Bill Foley, American photojournalist
* Blaze Foley (1949–1989), American singer
* Brendan Foley (filmmaker), Irish writer-director
* Brendan Foley (rugby union) (born 1950), Irish rugby player
* Brian Foley (disambiguation)
* C. Fritz Foley, American economist
* Caroline Rhys Davids (1857–1942), née Foley, English scholar and translator
* Charles Foley (disambiguation)
* Chris Foley (politician) (born 1956), independent member of the Queensland Legislative Assembly
* Chris Foley (musician), drummer for Boston hardcore bands SSD and DYS
* Christopher Foley (born 1974), also known as Kidd Chris, radio show host
* Cornelia MacIntyre Foley, American/Hawaiian artist
* Curry Foley, early Irish baseball player
* Cyril Foley (1868–1936), English cricketer, military officer and archaeologist
* Dave Foley, Canadian actor
* David Foley, English professional footballer
* David Edward Foley (1930–2018), American Roman Catholic bishop
* Denis Foley (1934–2013), Irish politician
* Des Foley, Irish sportsman and politician
* Dominic Foley, Irish professional footballer
* Ellen Foley, American singer and actress
* Fiona Foley, Australian artist
* Francis B. Foley (1887–1973), American ferrous metallurgist
* Frank Foley (1884–1958), British Secret Intelligence Service officer who helped thousands of Jewish families escape from Germany before the start of World War II
* Frank Foley (politician) (1922–1981), Canadian politician and educator
* Frederick Foley, American physician, designer of the Foley Catheter
* Gaelen Foley (born 1973), American writer
* Gary Foley (born 1950), Australian activist and academic
* Gerry Foley (1932–2021), American-born Canadian ice hockey player
* Glenn Foley (born 1970), American football player
* Henry Foley (disambiguation)
* Jack Foley (basketball) (1939–2020), American basketball player
* Jack Foley (poet) (born 1940), American poet
* Jack Foley (sound effects artist) (1891–1967), pioneering American sound effects specialist
* James Foley (disambiguation)
* Jason Foley (born 1995), American baseball player
* Jennifer Crystal Foley (born 1973), American actress
* Jessica Foley (born 1983), Australian basketball player
* Jim Foley (born 1946), Canadian football player
* Joe Foley (born 1955), American women's basketball coach
* John Foley (disambiguation)
* Joseph Foley (1821–?), Irish solicitor and nationalist politician
* Joseph P. Foley, Canadian politician
* Kevin Foley (disambiguation)
* Laurence Foley, American diplomat
* Lelia Foley, first African-American woman elected mayor in the United States
* Leo Foley, Minnesota politician and state senator
* Linda Foley, American journalist and labor leader
* Louise Munro Foley, American writer
* Lucy Foley (born 1986), American author
* Luke Foley, Australian politician
* Mark Foley (born 1954), US congressman from Florida
* Mark Foley (Cork hurler), Irish hurler
* Mark Foley (Limerick hurler), Irish hurler
* Martin Foley, Irish criminal
* Margaret Foley (1827–1877), American sculptor
* Margaret Foley (suffragist) (1875–1957), Irish-American labor organizer, suffragist, and social worker
* Maurice Foley (politician) (1925–2002), British politician
* Maurice Foley (sportsman) (1930–2013), Australian cricketer and field hockey player
* Maurice B. Foley (born 1960), Chief Judge of the United States Tax Court
* Mick Foley (born 1965), American professional wrestler
* Michael Foley (disambiguation)
* Mick Foley (born 1965), American professional wrestler
* Mick Foley (footballer) (1892–?), Irish footballer
* Mick Foley (public servant) (1923–1975), Australian public servant
* Mike Foley (Australian politician) (born 1946), Tasmanian politician
* Mike Foley (Nebraska politician) (born 1954), American politician
* Nathan Foley (footballer), Australian rules footballer
* Nathan Foley (singer), Australian singer/songwritermember of the children's group Hi-5
* Norma Foley (born 1970), Irish politician
* Pat Foley, sports broadcaster
* Patrick Foley (drummer), drummer for the band As It Is
* Patrick Foley (1858–1926), Roman Catholic professor, priest and Bishop of Kildare and Leighlin
* Paul Foley (disambiguation)
* Peter Foley (snowboarding) (born 1965 or 1966), American former snowboarding coach; suspended for 10 years for sexual misconduct
* Philip Foley, British ironmaster and politician
* Red Foley (1910–1968), American country music singer, musician
* Richard Foley (disambiguation)
* Richie Foley, Irish hurler
* Rick Foley, Canadian ice hockey player
* Robert Foley (disambiguation)
* Sylvester R. Foley Jr. (1928–2019), American four-star admiral
* Sallie Foley, American psychotherapist
* Samuel Foley (bishop) (1655–1695), bishop of Down and Connor
* Samuel J. Foley (politician) (1862–1922), New York politician
* Samuel J. Foley (district attorney) (1891–1951), Bronx County district attorney
* Sam Foley (born 1986), Irish-English footballer
* Scott Foley, American actor
* Stephan A. Foley, American judge, namesake of Stephan A. Foley House in Lincoln, Illinois
* Steve Foley (disambiguation)
* Sue Foley, Canadian blues musician
* Theo Foley, Irish footballer and football manager
* Theodore Foley, Roman Catholic priest
* Tom or Thomas Foley (disambiguation)
* Thos Foley, Irish snow skier
* Victoria Foley, American politician from Maine
* Will Foley (footballer) (born 1960), Scottish footballer
* William Foley (disambiguation)
* Zac Foley (1970–2002), bassist for the band EMF

## Fictional characters

* Axel Foley, in the Beverly Hills Cop franchise
* Justin Foley, in the novel and Netflix series 13 Reasons Why
* Matt Foley, from Saturday Night Live
* Richie Foley, aka Gear, from Static Shock
* Tucker Foley, one of the main characters of Danny Phantom
* Miss Foley, a character in the novel Something Wicked This Way Comes