Whilst the surname Follett is
often claimed to be of French origin due to its sound, it appears to be
of English origin. The surname is rather rare - there are only 687
Follett's listed in the 1881 UK census, roughly 0.002% of the
population. That figure remains consistent today and a similar
percentage can be found in both Australia (0.003%) and the USA
(0.001%). The majority of Folletts historically can be found in the
South-West of the UK, specifically in the neighbouring counties of
Somerset, Dorset, Devon, and Glamorgan. Other counties where
Folletts could be found included Hampshire, Surrey, Kent, London
(Middlesex) and Lancashire, all of which are known for their maritime
connection, as are the counties in the south-west. It is perhaps no
surprise that many of the British Follett families had
strong maritime connections, including one family that
operated a seizable fleet of ships from Co Devon for many centuries. The origin of
the surname is unknown, although one suggestion is that the "
surname derives from the word
'folet', a diminutive of the Old French word 'fol,'
meaning eccentric or
foolish. This in turn comes from the Latin word 'follis'
which formerly referred to anything filled with air, but which later
took on metaphorical connotation of vanity. As a surname, it was most
likely a nickname for a free-spirited or eccentric person, which was
later adopted as a hereditary surname."[
Surname
Database,
House
of Names,
Geneanet]
The theory does not offer an explanation as to how English
families from the south-west of England could have adopted such an
uncomplimentary French word as their surname. English surnames
generally derived from personal descriptions (eg: Brown),
trades
(eg: Smith), forenames of ancestors (eg: Johnson), topographical (eg:
Banks) or locative names where the person took on the name of where
they previously came from. This was true even of the nobility who
usually took the name of their primary estate (the husband of a wealthy
heiress typically took on her name and became known, for example, as
the next Lord Montagu, a title previously held by his
father-in-law). Few of these offer much promise for a possible origin
of the surname Follett (unless all Folletts were named after a fool!).
Follett does not have any obvious connection with Old English (or other
ancient English languages), it (or a variation) is not association with
a particular trade or occupation, it does not bear any obvious
connection with known forenames (including obsolete names), nor does it
appear to have any obvious topographical or geographical meaning. It
has, however, been suggested that Follett is an occupational name for
an actor who traditionally
played the part of a comedian or joker in the famous travelling
theatres of the medieval England (see [
Surname
Database]),
although this would seem to be too recent for an origin. Another
possible source for English surnames is in the identification of an
individual as a servant of a Lord bearing that name. Just as someone
could have been known as John of (the village of) Bilton, one may have
been known as John of (the estate belonging to Lord) Ingham, especially
when the Lord in question was an absentee landlord. In this context the
Norman use of Follett as a surname dates back to at least the invasion
of England in 1066, with several variants of Follett listed amongst
those who accompanied William of Normandy on his conquest. It is of
couse also possible that some of today's Folletts directly descend from
those early Norman Folletts, although reliable attempts to trace any
lineage back to these 11th century Normans have all failed. There are
numerous known variations of the surname including Folet, Follet,
Folliott, Follit, Folioth and Follit.