2000
#2,726
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 12,145
First available Census row
Per 100,000 4.50
Uncommon Last name
Foust
A German occupational surname derived from the word "Faust," meaning "fist," likely referring to a strong or pugnacious person.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 13,541 Americans carry the last name Foust. That puts it at #2,982 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 3.95 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 25,312 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Foust 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
14K
1 in 25,312
Census rank
#2,982
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
4.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
12K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 11,808 bearers of the surname Foust in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 3.95 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 2982nd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Foust, the largest self-reported group is White at 83.6%. The next largest groups are Black (8.1%) and Two or More Races (4.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Foust
The surname Foust is of German origin, tracing its roots back to the Middle Ages. It is believed to have derived from the Old German word "fohist," which translates to "forest" or "woodsman." This suggests that the earliest bearers of this name likely lived in or near forested areas and may have worked as foresters, woodcutters, or engaged in other occupations related to the woods.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the Foust name can be found in the Codex Diplomaticus Saxoniae Regiae, a collection of historical documents from the region of Saxony, Germany. Here, a certain "Heinricus Foust" is mentioned in a land transaction dating back to the year 1392. This provides evidence of the name's existence in medieval times.
Another notable historical reference to the Foust name appears in the Stadtbuch of Nuremberg, a city chronicle from the 15th century. In this document, a "Hans Foust" is recorded as a respected citizen and merchant in the city during the year 1461. This highlights the presence of the Foust family in urban centers and their involvement in trade and commerce during the late medieval period.
In the 16th century, the name Foust can be found in various church records and parish registers across Germany. For instance, a "Johann Foust" was born in the town of Eisenach in 1523, while a "Katharina Foust" was baptized in the village of Meiningen in 1578. These records demonstrate the continued use and spread of the Foust name throughout different regions of Germany.
One of the earliest known bearers of the Foust surname was Johann Foust (1490-1566), a German printer and publisher who was active in the city of Mainz during the Renaissance. He is credited with being one of the earliest printers to use movable type, contributing significantly to the development of the printing press and the spread of knowledge throughout Europe.
Another notable figure with the Foust name was Friedrich Foust (1782-1848), a German philosopher and scholar who taught at the University of Heidelberg. He was known for his work in the fields of metaphysics and ethics and was influential in the development of German idealism.
In the 19th century, Carl Foust (1818-1892) was a prominent German-American businessman and industrialist. He founded the Foust Brewing Company in Philadelphia, which became one of the largest breweries in the United States during the late 1800s. His success in the brewing industry contributed to the growing reputation of the Foust name in America.
As the Foust family spread across various regions of Germany and eventually to other parts of the world, the name underwent various spelling variations, such as Faust, Fauste, and Fust. These variations reflect the regional dialects and linguistic differences within the German language over time.
Overall, the surname Foust has a rich history deeply rooted in the German tradition, with its origins dating back to medieval times. The name has been borne by individuals from diverse backgrounds, including printers, philosophers, entrepreneurs, and countless others who have contributed to the cultural and historical fabric of their respective communities.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Foust
Among Census respondents with the surname Foust, the largest self-reported group is White at 83.6%. The next largest groups are Black (8.1%) and Two or More Races (4.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Foust 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 Foust surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White83.6% · 9,867
- Black or African American8.1% · 954
- Two or more races4.5% · 537
- Hispanic or Latino2.8% · 330
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.5% · 63
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.5% · 57
Timeline
Historical Census data for Foust
Foust 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
#2,900
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 12,366
+221 bearers (+1.8%)
Per 100,000 4.19
Rank movement Down 174 places
2020
#2,982
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 11,808
-558 bearers (-4.5%)
Per 100,000 3.95
Rank movement Down 82 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #2,726 | 12,145 | 4.50 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #2,900 | 12,366 | 4.19 | +221 bearers (+1.8%) | Down 174 places |
| 2020 | #2,982 | 11,808 | 3.95 | -558 bearers (-4.5%) | Down 82 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 Foust 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 | #2,900 | #2,982 | -2.8% |
| Count | 12,366 | 11,808 | -4.5% |
| Per 100K | 4.19 | 3.95 | -5.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Foust bearers went from 12,366 to 11,808 (-4.5% change). The surname moved down 82 positions in the national ranking, going from #2,900 to #2,982.
FAQ
Foust surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Foust?
Name Census estimates that about 13,541 living Americans carry the surname Foust. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 25,312 residents.
How common is Foust?
Foust ranks #2,982 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 3.95 per 100,000 residents, which is about 4 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 11,808 people with the surname Foust. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (13,541), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 3.95 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 3.95 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 4 of them to have the surname Foust.
Has Foust become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Foust went from 12,366 recorded bearers to 11,808. That is a decrease of 558 (-4.5%). In the national ranking it fell from #2,900 to #2,982.
What does the Census say about the background of Foust?
Among Census respondents with the surname Foust, the largest self-reported group is White at 83.6%. The next largest groups are Black (8.1%) and Two or More Races (4.5%). 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 Foust in the 2020 Census, accounting for 83.6% (9,867 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Foust appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (83.6%), Black (8.1%), Two or More Races (4.5%). 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 Foust (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 Foust mean?
A German occupational surname derived from the word "Faust," meaning "fist," likely referring to a strong or pugnacious person. 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 Foust (3.95 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 Foust?
If you just want to know how common the surname Foust is, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.