2000
#125,639
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 126
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.05
Very Rare Last name
Foegen
A variant spelling of the German surname meaning "cleaner" or "sweeper".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 132 Americans carry the last name Foegen. That puts it at #145,757 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,596,624 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Foegen surname. You will find the Census Bureau frequency data, a multi-census history view, an ancestry and ethnicity breakdown based on self-reported demographics, the name's meaning and origin where available, and answers to the most common questions people ask about this surname.
Bearers in the US
132
1 in 2,596,624
Census rank
#145,757
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
115
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 115 bearers of the surname Foegen in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 145757th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Foegen, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.2%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (2.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Foegen
The surname Foegen is of German origin and dates back to the 16th century. It is a locational name derived from the town of Vöhringen, located in the Swabian region of Bavaria, Germany. The name is believed to have evolved from the Old High German word "foha," meaning beech tree, and the suffix "-ingen," indicating a place or settlement.
The earliest recorded mention of the name Foegen can be found in the church records of Vöhringen in the late 1500s. The spelling variations included Foegen, Fogin, Voegen, and Vogin, reflecting the regional dialects and pronunciation differences of the time. One of the earliest documented individuals with this surname was Hans Foegen, born in Vöhringen in 1582.
In the 17th century, a branch of the Foegen family migrated to the neighboring region of Württemberg, where they settled in the town of Esslingen. A notable figure from this era was Johann Foegen (1623-1691), a prominent merchant and town councilor in Esslingen, who played a significant role in the town's trade and governance.
As the Foegen family spread across German-speaking regions, the name also appeared in historical records in Switzerland and Austria. In the 18th century, a Swiss branch of the family emerged in the canton of Bern, with Jacob Foegen (1743-1812) being a respected farmer and landowner in the village of Münchenbuchsee.
During the 19th century, several members of the Foegen family immigrated to the United States and other parts of the world, seeking new opportunities. One such individual was Karl Foegen (1825-1901), who settled in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, and became a successful brewer and entrepreneur.
Another notable figure was Marie Foegen (1867-1942), a German-born artist and painter who gained recognition for her landscape and portrait works in the early 20th century. Her paintings are exhibited in several museums across Germany and Europe.
The surname Foegen, although not among the most common surnames, has left its mark on history through the contributions of individuals in various fields, from business and governance to arts and agriculture, across different regions and centuries.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Foegen
Among Census respondents with the surname Foegen, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.2%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (2.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Foegen bearers described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given surname, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown for every Census year so the breakdown stays comparable over time. When the source file also includes raw headcounts, Name Census shows those alongside the percentages in the legend.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A person's surname does not determine their race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the Foegen surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White88.7% · 102
- Hispanic or Latino5.2% · 6
- American Indian and Alaska Native2.6% · 3
- Two or more races2.6% · 3
- Black or African American0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Foegen
Foegen appears in 3 published Census surname files: 2000, 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2010
#142,108
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 117
-9 bearers (-7.1%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 16,469 places
2020
#145,757
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 115
-2 bearers (-1.7%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 3,649 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #125,639 | 126 | 0.05 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #142,108 | 117 | 0.04 | -9 bearers (-7.1%) | Down 16,469 places |
| 2020 | #145,757 | 115 | 0.04 | -2 bearers (-1.7%) | Down 3,649 places |
For 2020, the Census Bureau published race and Hispanic-origin columns as counts rather than percentages. Name Census converts those counts back into shares so the ancestry section stays comparable with the older surname files.
Year on year
2010 vs 2020 Census
How has the Foegen surname changed between Census years? The chart shows bearer count side by side, and the table compares rank, count, and frequency.
Census year comparison
20102020
| Metric | 2010 | 2020 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #142,108 | #145,757 | -2.6% |
| Count | 117 | 115 | -1.7% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -3.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Foegen bearers went from 117 to 115 (-1.7% change). The surname moved down 3,649 positions in the national ranking, going from #142,108 to #145,757.
FAQ
Foegen surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Foegen?
Name Census estimates that about 132 living Americans carry the surname Foegen. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,596,624 residents.
How common is Foegen?
Foegen ranks #145,757 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 115 people with the surname Foegen. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (132), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.04 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Foegen.
Has Foegen become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Foegen went from 117 recorded bearers to 115. That is a decrease of 2 (-1.7%). In the national ranking it fell from #142,108 to #145,757.
What does the Census say about the background of Foegen?
Among Census respondents with the surname Foegen, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.2%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (2.6%). These figures come from the 2020 Census Bureau surname tables, based on how respondents described their own race and ethnicity.
Which group reports this surname most often?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Foegen in the 2020 Census, accounting for 88.7% (102 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Foegen appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (88.7%), Hispanic (5.2%), American Indian/Alaska Native (2.6%). For 2020, the source file also published raw headcounts for each group, which is why this page can show both percentages and counts in the ancestry section.
Is this page using the latest Census data?
Yes. This page is using the latest surname file currently loaded on Name Census, which is 2020. The historical section above also keeps any older Census surname entries we have for Foegen (2000, 2010, 2020).
Does the Census include every surname?
No. The Census Bureau only publishes surnames that appeared at least 100 times in a given decennial Census. That means very rare surnames are excluded entirely, and a surname can appear in one Census release but disappear from a later one if it falls below the reporting threshold.
Why don't the ancestry percentages always add up to exactly 100%?
There are two main reasons: rounding and suppression. The Census Bureau rounds published values, and it may suppress very small cells to protect privacy. For 2020, the Bureau also published raw group counts rather than direct percentages, so Name Census converts those counts back into shares for comparability across census years.
What does Foegen mean?
A variant spelling of the German surname meaning "cleaner" or "sweeper". The fuller origin note on this page goes into more detail.
Where does the surname data come from?
All surname statistics on Name Census are drawn from the US Census Bureau's decennial surname frequency tables. These files list every surname that appeared 100 or more times in the 2020 Census, along with a count, a per-100,000 rate, and a self-reported demographic breakdown. You can read the full explanation on our methodology page.
How does Name Census estimate living bearers?
For surnames, Name Census does not age cohorts the way it does for first names. Instead, it takes the Census Bureau's published frequency for Foegen (0.04 per 100,000) and applies that rate to the current U.S. resident population to estimate how many living Americans have the surname today.
How many people share the surname Foegen?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.