Fox (surname)

Fox
Origin
MeaningIn Ireland, Fox is usually a translation/anglicisation of Ó Sionnaigh or Mac an tSionnaigh, meaning son/descendant of the fox
Region of originEngland and Ireland
Other names
Variant formsLane Fox, Vos, Voss, Fuchs, Shinnick, Tinney
Frequency Comparison:[1]

Fox is a surname originating in England and Ireland. Variants include Foxe and Foxx.

English origin

The Fox surname in England comes from the Middle English identical word for 'fox', and was given to those who looked like or had the qualities of the animal such as being cunning or having red hair. It can also be a corruption of the Norman name 'Folko' or 'Foulques', and given to those who were the son or descendant of someone with that name. Some Fox carriers in England could also be of Irish ancestry. Fox is the 1,595th most common surname in the world.[2][3][4]

Fox surname Ireland

The main origin of the Fox surname in Ireland is Ó Sionnaigh, a respectable clan from the Irish Midlands who were rulers of Tethbae and later barons of Kilcoursey. They descend from Niall of the Nine Hostages son, Maine of Tethba of the Southern Uí Néill. .[5][6][7][8][9][10][11] Other possible Fox surname origins in Ireland include Mac an tSionnaigh, de Bhosc and Mac Seancha.[12][13][14]

Ireland c. 1500 at the beginning of the Tudor period, Fox's coloured dark blue held a small territory in central Ireland at this point due to being weakened by conflict with neighbouring Gaelic clans like the Mag Eochagáin (Geoghegans)

Some families with this name

  • Fox sisters (19th century), American sisters credited as the creators of Spiritualism
  • Robin Fox family of English actors, including Edward, James, Emilia, Laurence and Lydia Fox
  • Fox-Strangways (originally Fox), family name of the Earls of Ilchester
  • Lane Fox, a double-barrelled English surname

Notable persons with this surname

Actors

Arts (other)

Military

  • Cecil H. Fox (1873–1963), British naval officer
  • Charley Fox (1920–2008), Royal Canadian Air Force officer in World War II
  • David G. Fox, U.S. Army officer
  • Earl R. Fox (1919–2012), U.S. Navy and Coast Guard veteran
  • Francis John Fox (1857–1902), New Zealand soldier and farmer
  • Francis Lane Fox (1899–1989), British Army officer and Yorkshire landowner
  • George Malcolm Fox (1843–1918), Inspector General of Gymnasia for the British Army at Aldershot
  • Gustavus Fox (1821–1883), American naval officer in the Civil War
  • Josiah Fox (1763–1847), Cornish-American naval architect
  • Myles C. Fox (1918–1942), United States Marine Corps officer and Navy Cross recipient
  • Paddy Fox (1933–2016), British recruiting sergeant and Chelsea Pensioner
  • Wesley L. Fox (1931–2017), American US Marine, awarded the Medal of Honor

Politics and peerage

Religion

Science, technology, engineering, mathematics

Sports

Other

Fictional characters

See also

References

  1. ^ "Fox Surname Meaning and Distribution". forebears.co.uk. Retrieved 21 January 2014
  2. ^ "Fox surname origin meaning and family tree". Findmypast.
  3. ^ "Fox surname meaning and fox family history".
  4. ^ "Fox surname origin, meaning and last name history". Forebears.
  5. ^ "Ó Sionnaigh". Sionnach Abú.
  6. ^ "Fox coat of arms, family crest". Irish coat of arms, family crests.
  7. ^ "Fox Anglicised surnames of Ireland". LibraryIreland.com.
  8. ^ John, Grenham. "Fox surname history". Irish Ancestors. John Grenham. Retrieved 10 June 2025.
  9. ^ "Fox - Anglicised Surnames in Ireland". Library Ireland. Retrieved 10 June 2025.
  10. ^ "fox Coat of Arms, Family Crest and fox Family History". Irish Coat of Arms, Family Crest. Retrieved 10 June 2025.
  11. ^ "The Wily Foxes". The Irish Aesthete. Retrieved 10 June 2025.
  12. ^ "Mac An tSionnaigh". LibraryIreland.con.
  13. ^ "de Bhosc". LibraryIreland.com.
  14. ^ "Mac Seancha".
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