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

Foth, 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 Foth surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Foth in America

Foth is the 24554th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Foth surname appeared 1,018 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 Foth.

We can also compare 2010 data for Foth 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 Foth

The surname FOTH is of German origin, emerging in the Middle Ages around the 12th century. It is believed to have derived from the Old German word "fod," meaning "ford" or a shallow crossing point in a river or stream. This suggests the name may have originated among families residing near such a crossing or settlement.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name FOTH can be traced back to the city of Nuremberg in Bavaria, Germany. A document from 1349 mentions a certain "Johann Foth," a merchant and landowner in the region. This provides evidence of the name's establishment by the 14th century.

In the 15th century, the FOTH surname appeared in various historical records and manuscripts across German-speaking territories. Notably, a "Hans Foth" was mentioned in a land registry from the town of Freiburg im Breisgau, dating back to 1472. This indicates the name's spread to other areas of modern-day Germany.

Throughout the 16th and 17th centuries, variations of the FOTH surname emerged, including "Fothe," "Fodt," and "Foth." These variations likely resulted from regional dialects and scribal errors in recording the name. One notable example is Johann Fothe (1537-1587), a German theologian and composer from Saxony.

In the 18th century, the FOTH surname gained further recognition with the birth of Johann Georg Foth (1711-1788), a German painter and engraver from Nuremberg. His works were highly regarded during his lifetime and can be found in various art collections across Europe.

Another prominent figure bearing the FOTH name was Friedrich Wilhelm Foth (1819-1892), a German architect and urban planner. He was responsible for designing several notable buildings in Berlin, including the famous Reichstag building, which housed the German parliament.

As the FOTH surname continued to spread throughout Germany and beyond, it was also adopted in various forms in other European countries. For instance, the variant "Fot" can be found in Scandinavia, while "Foth" or "Footh" appeared in parts of England and Ireland, likely due to German immigration.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Foth

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

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

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

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