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.