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

Foulks, 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 Foulks surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Foulks in America

Foulks is the 16789th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Foulks surname appeared 1,701 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 1 people would have the surname Foulks.

We can also compare 2010 data for Foulks 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 Foulks

The surname Foulks is of English origin, deriving from the medieval English given name Fulk or Fulke, itself an Old Germanic name with roots in the word "folk" meaning "people". The name first appeared in England during the Norman Conquest of the 11th century.

Foulks traces its origins to counties in the southern and central regions of England, particularly Wiltshire, Somerset, and Gloucestershire. Early spellings of the name included Folke, Folkys, Foulx, and Fowlks. It is believed that some of the earliest bearers of the name were of Norman descent, brought to England by William the Conqueror in 1066.

One of the earliest known historical references to the name Foulks can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, which recorded landowners and tenants in England. The name appears as "Fulcus" and "Fulco" in various counties, indicating its presence in the country shortly after the Norman Conquest.

Notable individuals throughout history who bore the surname Foulks include Sir Fulk FitzWarin (c. 1170 – c. 1258), a renowned medieval knight and Marcher Lord in the Welsh Marches. Another early bearer of the name was John Foulks (c. 1385 – c. 1450), a prominent merchant and alderman in the City of London.

During the 16th and 17th centuries, the Foulks surname was associated with several prominent families in counties like Somerset and Gloucestershire. One such individual was Sir Martin Foulks (1560 – 1638), a Member of Parliament and Sheriff of Somerset in 1621.

In the 18th century, Edward Foulks (1713 – 1786) was a notable English architect and surveyor who worked on several significant projects, including the construction of the Old Admiralty Buildings in London.

As the Foulks family spread throughout England, the name became associated with various place names, such as Foulkscourt in Wiltshire and Foulksmill in Somerset, reflecting the influence and presence of individuals bearing the surname in those areas.

The Foulks surname has a rich history rooted in medieval England, with connections to Norman heritage, notable individuals, and geographic locations across various counties. Its evolution over centuries reflects the journey and contributions of those who carried this name.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Foulks

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

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

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

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