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

Fore, 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 Fore surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Fore in America

Fore is the 5835th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Fore surname appeared 5,927 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 2 people would have the surname Fore.

We can also compare 2010 data for Fore 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 Fore

The surname FORE is believed to have originated in England, with some of the earliest known records dating back to the 13th century. It is likely derived from the Old English word "for," which means "before" or "in front of." This suggests that the name may have been given to someone who lived near a prominent feature, such as a forest or a road.

One of the earliest known references to the surname FORE can be found in the Hundred Rolls of 1273, which recorded the names of landowners in various counties of England. The name appears in several variations, including Fore, Forre, and Forr.

In the 14th century, the surname FORE appears in the records of the Manors of Cuxham and Coleshill in Oxfordshire, where it is spelled as "Fore." This suggests that the name was well-established in this region during that time period.

During the Middle Ages, it was common for surnames to be derived from place names, and the FORE surname may have originated from a location or landmark with a similar name. Some examples of place names that may have influenced the surname include Ford, Fordham, and Foremark.

One notable figure in history who bore the surname FORE was Sir John Fore, a member of Parliament for Lyme Regis in 1366. Another individual of note was William Fore, a merchant from Bristol who was born around 1540 and played a significant role in the city's trade with Spain and Portugal.

In the 17th century, the FORE surname appears in the records of the Virginia Company, which was responsible for establishing the first permanent English settlement in North America. One such individual was Robert Fore, who was listed as a landowner in the colony in 1623.

Other notable individuals with the surname FORE include Richard Fore (1768-1853), a British naval officer who served during the Napoleonic Wars, and James Fore (1844-1911), an American politician and businessman who served as the mayor of Mobile, Alabama.

While the surname FORE may have originated in England, it has since spread to various other parts of the world, likely due to migration and the movement of people over the centuries.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Fore

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

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

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

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