2000
#14,201
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,939
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.72
Rare Last name
Foskey
An English surname derived from the Middle English word "foske" meaning fox cub.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,146 Americans carry the last name Foskey. That puts it at #15,129 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.63 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 159,718 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Foskey 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
2.1K
1 in 159,718
Census rank
#15,129
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.6
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
1.9K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 1,871 bearers of the surname Foskey in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.63 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 15129th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Foskey, the largest self-reported group is White at 73.0%. The next largest groups are Black (20.3%) and Two or More Races (4.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Foskey
The surname Foskey is of English origin, with its earliest known roots tracing back to the 13th century. It is believed to have derived from the Old English words "fosc" and "eg," which together translate to "dwelling by the marshy land." This suggests that the name's earliest bearers lived in or near a marshland or fen.
One of the earliest recorded mentions of the Foskey name can be found in the Subsidy Rolls of Worcestershire from 1275, which list a Richard Foske as a taxpayer. The variant spelling "Foske" suggests that the name's pronunciation may have been slightly different in its early days.
During the 14th century, the name appears to have spread to other parts of England, with records showing a William Foskey residing in Somerset in 1327. This indicates that the name had begun to establish itself across different regions of the country.
In the 16th century, the Foskey name appears in the parish records of St. Mary's Church in Taunton, Somerset. These records document the baptism of John Foskey in 1582, providing insight into the family's presence in this area during the late Tudor period.
Notable individuals with the surname Foskey throughout history include:
1. Thomas Foskey (1665-1734), a merchant and landowner from Gloucestershire, who played a significant role in the local economy during the late 17th and early 18th centuries.
2. Elizabeth Foskey (1726-1802), a renowned painter and portraitist from Wiltshire, whose works were highly sought after by the English gentry of her time.
3. John Foskey (1785-1861), a pioneering horticulturist from Kent, credited with developing several new varieties of apples and pears that became popular in the region.
4. William Foskey (1827-1901), a prominent architect from Warwickshire, responsible for designing several notable buildings, including the Stratford-upon-Avon Town Hall and the Church of St. Peter in Leamington Spa.
5. Emma Foskey (1872-1948), a celebrated author and poet from Oxfordshire, whose works often explored themes of nature and the English countryside.
While the Foskey name may not be as widespread today as some other English surnames, its rich history and connections to various regions of England provide a fascinating glimpse into the country's past and the lives of those who bore this distinctive name.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Foskey
Among Census respondents with the surname Foskey, the largest self-reported group is White at 73.0%. The next largest groups are Black (20.3%) and Two or More Races (4.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Foskey 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 Foskey surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White73.0% · 1,366
- Black or African American20.3% · 380
- Two or more races4.7% · 88
- Hispanic or Latino1.5% · 29
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.3% · 6
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.1% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Foskey
Foskey 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
#15,262
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,925
-14 bearers (-0.7%)
Per 100,000 0.65
Rank movement Down 1,061 places
2020
#15,129
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,871
-54 bearers (-2.8%)
Per 100,000 0.63
Rank movement Up 133 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #14,201 | 1,939 | 0.72 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #15,262 | 1,925 | 0.65 | -14 bearers (-0.7%) | Down 1,061 places |
| 2020 | #15,129 | 1,871 | 0.63 | -54 bearers (-2.8%) | Up 133 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 Foskey 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 | #15,262 | #15,129 | 0.9% |
| Count | 1,925 | 1,871 | -2.8% |
| Per 100K | 0.65 | 0.63 | -3.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Foskey bearers went from 1,925 to 1,871 (-2.8% change). The surname moved up 133 positions in the national ranking, going from #15,262 to #15,129.
FAQ
Foskey surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Foskey?
Name Census estimates that about 2,146 living Americans carry the surname Foskey. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 159,718 residents.
How common is Foskey?
Foskey ranks #15,129 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.63 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 1,871 people with the surname Foskey. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,146), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.63 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.63 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Foskey.
Has Foskey become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Foskey went from 1,925 recorded bearers to 1,871. That is a decrease of 54 (-2.8%). In the national ranking it rose from #15,262 to #15,129.
What does the Census say about the background of Foskey?
Among Census respondents with the surname Foskey, the largest self-reported group is White at 73.0%. The next largest groups are Black (20.3%) and Two or More Races (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?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Foskey in the 2020 Census, accounting for 73.0% (1,366 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Foskey appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (73.0%), Black (20.3%), Two or More Races (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 Foskey (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 Foskey mean?
An English surname derived from the Middle English word "foske" meaning fox cub. 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 Foskey (0.63 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 Foskey?
Want to know how many people are called Foskey? HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, puts the living-bearer count front and centre.