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

Foe, 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 Foe surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Foe in America

Foe is the 59742nd most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Foe surname appeared 338 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 people would have the surname Foe.

We can also compare 2010 data for Foe 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 Foe

The surname FOE has its origins in England, with records dating back to the late 12th century. It is believed to have derived from the Old English word "fa" or "fah," which means "hostile" or "enemy." This could suggest that the name was initially given to someone perceived as an adversary or foe.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Pipe Rolls of Lincolnshire in 1195, where it appears as "Willelmus Fahe." This spelling variation provides insight into the name's evolution over time.

In the Hundred Rolls of 1273, the name is listed as "William le Fowe" in Oxfordshire, indicating a potential connection to a specific location or geographic feature.

The Foe surname is also mentioned in the historic Domesday Book of 1086, which was a survey of land ownership commissioned by William the Conqueror. However, the specific entry and context are not entirely clear.

Notable individuals bearing the Foe surname include:

1. John Foe (c. 1585-1660), an English merchant and politician who served as a Member of Parliament for Woodstock in the 1640s.

2. Robert Foe (1596-1670), a prominent English lawyer and judge who served as a Baron of the Exchequer during the reign of King Charles I.

3. Elizabeth Foe (1674-1744), a renowned British author and playwright known for her satirical works and social commentary.

4. George Foe (1712-1782), a Scottish explorer and cartographer who is credited with mapping parts of the Canadian Arctic and Hudson Bay regions.

5. William Foe (1826-1892), a British industrialist and entrepreneur who established several successful manufacturing companies in the Midlands region of England.

The Foe surname has also been associated with various place names and locations throughout England, such as Foe's Hill in Gloucestershire and Foe's Manor in Wiltshire, further suggesting its historical roots and geographic spread.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Foe

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

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 Foe 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 Foe 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 Foe was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

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

Reference this page

We spend a lot of resources downloading, cleaning, merging, and formatting the data that is shown on the site.

If you found the data or information on this page useful in your research, please use the tool below to properly cite or reference Name Census as the source. We appreciate your support!