2000
#141,788
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 108
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Fosket
A diminutive of an Old French surname meaning "little forest keeper".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 134 Americans carry the last name Fosket. That puts it at #144,270 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,557,868 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Fosket 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
134
1 in 2,557,868
Census rank
#144,270
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
117
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 117 bearers of the surname Fosket in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 144270th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Fosket, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.5%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (3.4%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (2.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Fosket
The surname Fosket is of English origin, with roots tracing back to the medieval period. It is believed to have derived from the Old English words "fosc" and "hætt," meaning a fosky or dark-colored hat or cap. This suggests that the name may have initially been a descriptive nickname given to someone who wore such headgear.
Early records of the name can be found in various historical documents, including the Pipe Rolls of Gloucestershire from the 13th century, where it appears as "Fosket." The Hundred Rolls of 1273 also mention a "Willelmus Fosket" from Oxfordshire.
During the 14th century, the name was established in several regions of England, particularly in the counties of Gloucestershire, Oxfordshire, and Lincolnshire. The Subsidy Rolls of 1327 list a "Johannes Foskett" in Oxfordshire, while the Poll Tax Records of 1379 mention a "Robertus Fosket" in Gloucestershire.
One of the earliest notable individuals with the surname Fosket was John Fosket, a merchant and member of the Guild of Corpus Christi in York, who lived during the 15th century. In the same century, a Thomas Fosket was recorded as a landowner in the village of Chadlington, Oxfordshire.
The name Fosket also appears in historical records related to the English Civil War in the 17th century. Captain William Fosket was a Royalist officer who fought for King Charles I's forces during the conflict.
In the 18th century, a prominent figure named Richard Fosket (1710-1785) served as the Mayor of Gloucester in 1763 and was a respected member of the local gentry.
Another notable individual was Samuel Fosket (1784-1856), a successful merchant and philanthropist from Bristol, who made significant contributions to various charitable causes in the city.
Over the centuries, the name Fosket has undergone various spelling variations, including Foscott, Foskett, and Foskit, reflecting the changes in pronunciation and regional dialects across different parts of England.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Fosket
Among Census respondents with the surname Fosket, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.5%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (3.4%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (2.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Fosket 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 Fosket surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White91.5% · 107
- Asian and Pacific Islander3.4% · 4
- American Indian and Alaska Native2.6% · 3
- Two or more races1.7% · 2
- Hispanic or Latino0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Fosket
Fosket 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
#141,140
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 118
+10 bearers (+9.3%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 648 places
2020
#144,270
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 117
-1 bearers (-0.8%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 3,130 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #141,788 | 108 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #141,140 | 118 | 0.04 | +10 bearers (+9.3%) | Up 648 places |
| 2020 | #144,270 | 117 | 0.04 | -1 bearers (-0.8%) | Down 3,130 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 Fosket 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 | #141,140 | #144,270 | -2.2% |
| Count | 118 | 117 | -0.8% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -2.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Fosket bearers went from 118 to 117 (-0.8% change). The surname moved down 3,130 positions in the national ranking, going from #141,140 to #144,270.
FAQ
Fosket surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Fosket?
Name Census estimates that about 134 living Americans carry the surname Fosket. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,557,868 residents.
How common is Fosket?
Fosket ranks #144,270 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 117 people with the surname Fosket. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (134), 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 Fosket.
Has Fosket become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Fosket went from 118 recorded bearers to 117. That is a decrease of 1 (-0.8%). In the national ranking it fell from #141,140 to #144,270.
What does the Census say about the background of Fosket?
Among Census respondents with the surname Fosket, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.5%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (3.4%) 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 Fosket in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.5% (107 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Fosket appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (91.5%), Asian/Pacific Islander (3.4%), 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 Fosket (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 Fosket mean?
A diminutive of an Old French surname meaning "little forest keeper". 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 Fosket (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 Fosket?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.