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

Foston, 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 Foston surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Foston in America

Foston is the 49087th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Foston surname appeared 429 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 Foston.

We can also compare 2010 data for Foston 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 Foston

The surname Foston originates from England and can be traced back to the 12th century. It is a locational name derived from the place name Foston, which is found in several counties in England, including Derbyshire, Leicestershire, Lincolnshire, and Norfolk.

The name Foston itself is believed to be derived from the Old English words "fos" and "tun," meaning "a homestead or village near a marshy area." This suggests that the original bearers of the name lived near or in a settlement located near a marshy or boggy area.

One of the earliest recorded mentions of the name Foston can be found in the Pipe Rolls of Lincolnshire from the year 1176, where a certain Robertus de Foston is listed. The Pipe Rolls were financial records kept by the English Exchequer, and the inclusion of the name indicates that the name was already established by that time.

In the 13th century, the surname Foston appeared in several historical records, such as the Feet of Fines for Yorkshire in 1208, where a Thomas de Foston is mentioned. The Feet of Fines were legal documents recording land transactions, and their presence suggests that the Foston family had acquired property or land holdings in the region.

Notable individuals with the surname Foston include:

1. Thomas Foston (c. 1370-1445), an English clergyman and scholar who served as the Chancellor of the University of Oxford from 1422 to 1423.

2. Robert Foston (c. 1460-1525), an English theologian and academic who held the position of Master of Pembroke College, Cambridge in the early 16th century.

3. William Foston (c. 1520-1585), an English merchant and trader who was involved in the export of wool to the Netherlands during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I.

4. Henry Foston (c. 1600-1670), an English clergyman and author who wrote several religious treatises, including "The Christian's Duty" and "The Way to Eternal Life."

5. Elizabeth Foston (1675-1745), an English philanthropist and benefactor who donated significant funds to establish schools and almshouses in her hometown of Melton Mowbray, Leicestershire.

Throughout history, the surname Foston has also been associated with various place names, such as Foston in Derbyshire, Foston in Leicestershire, and Foston-on-the-Wolds in Yorkshire. These place names further reinforce the locational origin of the surname and its connection to specific geographic regions in England.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Foston

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

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

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

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