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

Fogerty, 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 Fogerty surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Fogerty in America

Fogerty is the 32203rd most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Fogerty surname appeared 716 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 Fogerty.

We can also compare 2010 data for Fogerty 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 Fogerty

The surname Fogerty is of Irish origin, derived from the old Gaelic word "fochardha" which means "fertile." It is believed to have first emerged in the 8th or 9th century AD amongst various clans and tribes inhabiting the ancient province of Ulster in Northern Ireland.

One of the earliest recorded references to the name can be found in the Annals of the Four Masters, a chronicle of medieval Irish history compiled in the early 17th century. Here it appears spelled as "Ó Fochartaigh" which translates to "descendant of Focharta."

The name is thought to have originated as a byname or nickname given to someone living in or near a particularly fertile area of land. Over time, this descriptive name became hereditary and evolved into the various spellings we recognize today, including Fogarty, Fougherty, Foggarty, and of course, Fogerty.

In the 16th century, records show a John Fogarty who served as a constable in County Tipperary. A century later, in 1642, a man named Thomas Fogerty is listed as holding lands in County Kilkenny. These early examples demonstrate the name's longstanding presence across multiple Irish counties.

One notable bearer of the Fogerty surname was Brigadier General Robert Fogerty, an Irish-born soldier who served in the British Army during the 18th century (1714-1789). Another was Thomas Fogerty (1816-1899), an Irish-born prelate of the Catholic Church who became Bishop of Killaloe.

In more recent history, John Fogerty (born 1945) is a famous American musician, singer-songwriter, and guitarist, best known as the lead vocalist for the influential rock band Creedence Clearwater Revival. Though his ancestors adopted an Americanized spelling, his surname traces back to those early Irish roots.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Fogerty

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

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

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

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