FOLLETT
Follett is a surname of English origin, most commonly found in the British Isles and particularly within England. The name is a diminutive form, derived from a medieval root that has become associated with the animal or with a characteristic personality trait.
In the Middle English period the word foliot denoted a foal, and the surname Follett was employed as an occupational designation for those who worked with, owned or managed young horses. It could also have been bestowed as a nickname upon someone who displayed the spirited or playful qualities typically associated with a foal.
Other scholarly interpretations identify the surname as a diminutive of the Old French word fol meaning “mad” or “foolish.” This line of origin places the name among a number of Norman surnames that entered England after the Conquest of 1066. The early usage of Follet, Follit, Follitt and related forms suggests that local pronunciation heavily influenced the recorded spelling of the name.
The earliest documentary evidence of the family name dates to 1086, when a William Folet is recorded in the Domesday Book of King William the Conqueror. Subsequent mentions include Roger Folet in the Pipe Rolls of Kent in 1158, and several parish entries from the late sixteenth and early seventeenth centuries, such as the christenings of Luce daughter of Roger Follett on 12 March 1591 and that of Elizabeth on 25 April 1594, both at St. Mary Abchurch, London.
One of the most prominent bearers of the surname was Sir William Follett (1798‑1845), a distinguished attorney‑general. He earned an M.A. at Trinity College, Cambridge in 1830, was called to the bar from the Inner Temple in 1824, and served as solicitor‑general under Sir Robert Peel in 1834‑1835 and 1841. He was appointed attorney‑general in 1844, defended Lord Cardigan in the duel case, and represented The Honourable Norton in a case against Lord Melbourne. A statue commemorating him stands in Westminster Abbey, and he was granted a coat of arms composed of a field of twelve red and silver horizontal lines with a black bend; the crest depicts the upper half of a gryphon erect with wings back to back, and the motto Quo virtus ducit scando translates as “I climb where virtue leads.”
Following the Norman migration, the Follett surname spread throughout England, particularly in Devon, where many early medieval records were found. Over subsequent centuries the family name extended beyond British borders, appearing now most frequently in the United States, Canada, Australia and other parts of the English‑speaking world. The dispersal of the name is largely attributable to emigration during the eighteenth, nineteenth and twentieth centuries.
In modern times the surname is associated with several distinguished individuals, most notably the Welsh author Ken Follett, whose thriller novels and historical narratives have garnered international acclaim and increased public awareness of the name. His contemporary achievements illustrate the continued cultural relevance of the surname across the British Isles and abroad.
Typical given names associated with the Follett surname
Male
- Andrew
- David
- James
- John
- Mark
- Matthew
- Michael
- Nigel
- Paul
- Peter
- Richard
- Stephen
Female
- Anne
- Christine
- Daniela
- Emma
- Lucie
- Margaret
- Mary
- Michelle
- Patricia
- Rachel
- Rebecca
- Sarah
- Susan
- Tania
Similar and related surnames
Related and similar names are generated algorithmically based on the spelling, and may not necessarily share an etymology.
How to communicate the surname Follett in...
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There are approximately 1,027 people named Follett in the UK. That makes it roughly the 7,216th most common surname in Britain. Around 16 in a million people in Britain are named Follett.
Surname type: Diminutive
Origin: English
Region of origin: British Isles
Country of origin: England
Religion of origin: Christian
Language of origin: English
Famous people named Follett
- Ken Follett - Novelist
- Barbara Follett - Politician
- David Follett - Cricket player
Names and descriptions courtesy of Wikipedia, and may contain errors. This is not intended to be an exhaustive list of every famous person with this name.