2000
#48,776
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 406
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.15
Very Rare Last name
Foulger
A locational surname originating from a place called Foulger in England.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 571 Americans carry the last name Foulger. That puts it at #46,181 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.17 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 600,270 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Foulger 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.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Foulger with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
571
1 in 600,270
Census rank
#46,181
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.2
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
498
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 498 bearers of the surname Foulger in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.17 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 46181st position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Foulger, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.8%) and Two or More Races (2.2%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Foulger
The surname Foulger is believed to have originated in England during the medieval period. It is derived from the Old English words "fugol" meaning "bird" and "hyrde" meaning "herd" or "keeper." Thus, the name likely referred to someone who worked as a bird keeper or a poulterer.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Foulger can be found in the Pipe Rolls of Gloucestershire from the year 1191, where a Richard Foghelhurde is mentioned. This spelling variation highlights the evolution of the name over time.
In the 13th century, the name appeared in various records, such as the Curia Regis Rolls of Bedfordshire from 1221, which mentioned a William Foghelherde. Additionally, the Hundred Rolls of Cambridgeshire from 1273 included a reference to a Walter Foghelherde.
During the 14th century, the surname Foulger began to take on a more recognizable spelling. The Subsidy Rolls of Sussex from 1327 listed a John Foughler, while the Feet of Fines for Essex in 1391 mentioned a Thomas Foulere.
One notable individual bearing the Foulger surname was John Foulger (c. 1490-1556), a wealthy merchant and landowner from Norfolk, England. He served as a Member of Parliament for the borough of Great Yarmouth in 1545.
Another prominent figure was Richard Foulger (1598-1671), an English clergyman who served as the Rector of Houghton Conquest in Bedfordshire. He was a staunch Puritan and was ejected from his living during the English Civil War.
In the 17th century, the name Foulger appeared in various parish records across England. For instance, the baptism of William Foulger was recorded in the parish of St. Mary's, Bury St. Edmunds, Suffolk, in 1623.
The 18th century saw the Foulger surname spread to other parts of the British Isles. One notable individual from this period was Thomas Foulger (1715-1790), a Welsh Baptist minister and author from Glamorganshire.
In the 19th century, the name Foulger was found in various census and birth records across England and Wales. One example is William Foulger (1834-1910), a prominent English architect who designed several notable buildings in London, including the Church of St. John the Baptist in Stratford.
Throughout its history, the surname Foulger has maintained a strong association with its English origins, although it has also been found in other parts of the world due to migration and emigration.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Foulger
Among Census respondents with the surname Foulger, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.8%) and Two or More Races (2.2%).
The bar chart below shows how Foulger 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 Foulger surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White93.2% · 464
- Hispanic or Latino2.8% · 14
- Two or more races2.2% · 11
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 4
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.6% · 3
- Black or African American0.4% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Foulger
Foulger 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
#48,530
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 435
+29 bearers (+7.1%)
Per 100,000 0.15
Rank movement Up 246 places
2020
#46,181
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 498
+63 bearers (+14.5%)
Per 100,000 0.17
Rank movement Up 2,349 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #48,776 | 406 | 0.15 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #48,530 | 435 | 0.15 | +29 bearers (+7.1%) | Up 246 places |
| 2020 | #46,181 | 498 | 0.17 | +63 bearers (+14.5%) | Up 2,349 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 Foulger 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 | #48,530 | #46,181 | 4.8% |
| Count | 435 | 498 | 14.5% |
| Per 100K | 0.15 | 0.17 | 11.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Foulger bearers went from 435 to 498 (+14.5% change). The surname moved up 2,349 positions in the national ranking, going from #48,530 to #46,181.
FAQ
Foulger surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Foulger?
Name Census estimates that about 571 living Americans carry the surname Foulger. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 600,270 residents.
How common is Foulger?
Foulger ranks #46,181 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.17 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 498 people with the surname Foulger. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (571), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.17 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.17 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 Foulger.
Has Foulger become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Foulger went from 435 recorded bearers to 498. That is an increase of 63 (+14.5%). In the national ranking it rose from #48,530 to #46,181.
What does the Census say about the background of Foulger?
Among Census respondents with the surname Foulger, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.8%) and Two or More Races (2.2%). 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 Foulger in the 2020 Census, accounting for 93.2% (464 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Foulger appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (93.2%), Hispanic (2.8%), Two or More Races (2.2%). 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 Foulger (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 Foulger mean?
A locational surname originating from a place called Foulger in England. 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 Foulger (0.17 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 Americans have the surname Foulger?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.