2000
#150,436
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 100
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Foman
A surname possibly derived from an English place name or from a Middle English word meaning "man" or "servant".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 122 Americans carry the last name Foman. That puts it at #152,339 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,809,462 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Foman 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
122
1 in 2,809,462
Census rank
#152,339
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
106
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 106 bearers of the surname Foman in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 152339th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Foman, the largest self-reported group is Black at 50.9%. The next largest groups are White (39.6%) and Hispanic (4.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Foman
The surname FOMAN is believed to have originated in England during the medieval period, likely in the 13th or 14th century. It is thought to be derived from the Old English words "foa" meaning an enemy or foe, and "mann" meaning a man or person. This suggests that the name may have initially been used to refer to a hostile or antagonistic individual.
Some of the earliest recorded instances of the name FOMAN can be found in various historical documents from the 14th century. For example, a Robert Foman is mentioned in the Court Rolls of Suffolk from the year 1347. Additionally, a John Foman is listed in the Pipe Rolls of Gloucestershire from 1385.
During the 15th century, the name appeared to have spread to different regions of England. In the Subsidy Rolls of Suffolk from 1427, a William Foman is recorded as a resident of the village of Beccles. Similarly, the Lay Subsidy Rolls of Oxfordshire from 1479 mention a Thomas Foman residing in the town of Banbury.
In the 16th century, variations of the spelling of the name began to emerge, such as Fooman and Fewman. One notable individual from this period was John Foman, a merchant from London who was born in 1528 and passed away in 1597.
Moving into the 17th century, the name FOMAN continued to be found across various parts of England. In the Parish Registers of Warwickshire from 1612, a baptismal record exists for a child named Mary Foman. Additionally, the Hearth Tax Rolls of Somerset from 1664 list a household headed by a William Foman in the town of Yeovil.
In the 18th century, the name FOMAN seems to have gained prominence in certain areas of northern England. One individual of note was Robert Foman, a successful businessman from Newcastle upon Tyne who was born in 1724 and died in 1798. Another notable figure was Elizabeth Foman, a writer and poet from Yorkshire who lived from 1746 to 1818.
Throughout the 19th century, the FOMAN surname continued to be present in various regions of England, though it remained relatively uncommon. One individual of note from this period was James Foman, a renowned architect from London who was born in 1823 and passed away in 1902.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Foman
Among Census respondents with the surname Foman, the largest self-reported group is Black at 50.9%. The next largest groups are White (39.6%) and Hispanic (4.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Foman 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 Foman surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Black or African American50.9% · 54
- White39.6% · 42
- Hispanic or Latino4.7% · 5
- Two or more races2.8% · 3
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9% · 1
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Foman
Foman 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
#159,712
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 101
+1 bearers (+1.0%)
Per 100,000 0.03
Rank movement Down 9,276 places
2020
#152,339
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 106
+5 bearers (+5.0%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 7,373 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #150,436 | 100 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #159,712 | 101 | 0.03 | +1 bearers (+1.0%) | Down 9,276 places |
| 2020 | #152,339 | 106 | 0.04 | +5 bearers (+5.0%) | Up 7,373 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 Foman 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 | #159,712 | #152,339 | 4.6% |
| Count | 101 | 106 | 5.0% |
| Per 100K | 0.03 | 0.04 | 18.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Foman bearers went from 101 to 106 (+5.0% change). The surname moved up 7,373 positions in the national ranking, going from #159,712 to #152,339.
FAQ
Foman surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Foman?
Name Census estimates that about 122 living Americans carry the surname Foman. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,809,462 residents.
How common is Foman?
Foman ranks #152,339 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 106 people with the surname Foman. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (122), 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 Foman.
Has Foman become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Foman went from 101 recorded bearers to 106. That is an increase of 5 (+5.0%). In the national ranking it rose from #159,712 to #152,339.
What does the Census say about the background of Foman?
Among Census respondents with the surname Foman, the largest self-reported group is Black at 50.9%. The next largest groups are White (39.6%) and Hispanic (4.7%). 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?
Black is the largest self-reported group for the surname Foman in the 2020 Census, accounting for 50.9% (54 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Foman appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Black (50.9%), White (39.6%), Hispanic (4.7%). 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 Foman (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 Foman mean?
A surname possibly derived from an English place name or from a Middle English word meaning "man" or "servant". 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 Foman (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 common is the surname Foman?
For a quick modern take, check how many people have the surname Foman on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org.