Find out how popular the last name Focht is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Focht.

Focht, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Focht surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Focht in America

Focht is the 14349th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Focht surname appeared 2,085 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 1 people would have the surname Focht.

We can also compare 2010 data for Focht to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name Focht

The surname Focht is believed to have originated in Germany, specifically in the region of Saxony. It traces its roots back to the Middle Ages, likely emerging in the 13th or 14th century. The name Focht is derived from the Old German word "foht," which means "dense forest" or "thicket."

During the medieval period, surnames were often derived from geographical features, occupations, or physical characteristics. In this case, Focht likely referred to someone who lived near or worked in a dense forest area. The earliest recorded instances of the name appear in documents and records from various German principalities and city-states.

One notable reference to the name Focht can be found in the Codex Diplomaticus Saxoniae, a collection of historical documents and charters from Saxony dating back to the 9th century. The name appears in several entries from the 14th and 15th centuries, indicating its presence in the region during that time.

The earliest known bearer of the surname Focht was Johann Focht, a landowner and farmer who lived in the town of Freiberg, Saxony, in the late 15th century. Records show that he was born around 1470 and died in 1542.

Another notable figure with the surname Focht was Hans Focht, a master woodcarver who lived in the city of Nuremberg during the 16th century. His intricate woodcarvings adorned many churches and buildings in the region, and he was highly regarded for his craftsmanship. Hans Focht was born in 1510 and died in 1578.

In the 17th century, a prominent scholar and theologian named Johann Michael Focht made significant contributions to the study of philosophy and religion. He was born in Tübingen, Germany, in 1619 and died in 1692.

The name Focht has also been associated with various place names throughout Germany, such as Fochtdorf (meaning "Focht village") and Fochtbach (meaning "Focht stream"). These place names likely originated from the surname itself or were derived from the same root word.

One of the most famous bearers of the Focht surname was the German artist and painter, Wilhelm Focht. Born in 1816 in Nuremberg, he gained recognition for his landscape paintings and portraits. His works were exhibited in various galleries across Europe, and he is considered an important figure in the Romantic Movement. Wilhelm Focht died in 1892.

While the surname Focht is not as common today as it once was, it remains an integral part of German heritage and history, with its origins deeply rooted in the dense forests and medieval settlements of Saxony.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Focht

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Focht.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Focht was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Focht has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Focht was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Focht, please contact us.

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