2000
#15,078
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,795
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.67
Rare Last name
Fout
A Dutch surname meaning "mistake" or "error".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,037 Americans carry the last name Fout. That puts it at #15,803 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.59 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 168,264 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Fout 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
2.0K
1 in 168,264
Census rank
#15,803
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.6
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
1.8K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 1,776 bearers of the surname Fout in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.59 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 15803rd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Fout, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.5%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.3%) and Hispanic (3.2%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Fout
The surname FOUT has its origins in the Netherlands, dating back to the 16th century. It is believed to be derived from the Dutch word "fout," which means "mistake" or "error." This suggests that the name may have been originally used as a descriptive nickname for someone who was clumsy or prone to making mistakes.
The earliest recorded instance of the FOUT surname can be found in the Dutch records of the city of Amsterdam from the year 1587. These records mention a man named Jan Fout, who was a merchant and trader in the city. The surname was also present in other parts of the Netherlands during this time, with variations in spelling such as Faudt, Fautte, and Foud.
In the 17th century, the FOUT surname appeared in various historical documents and records, including the Dutch East India Company's records of its employees. One notable individual with this surname was Pieter Fout, born in 1632, who was a captain in the Dutch East India Company and sailed to the East Indies on several voyages.
During the 18th century, the FOUT surname spread to other parts of Europe, including Germany and France. In Germany, the name was sometimes spelled as Faut or Faudt, while in France, it was often written as Fautte or Foutier. One prominent figure with this surname was Johannes Fout, a German theologian and philosopher who lived from 1715 to 1789.
As the FOUT surname made its way to other parts of the world, it underwent further variations in spelling and pronunciation. In the United States, for example, the name was sometimes spelled as Fout, Fautt, or Faut. Notable individuals with this surname in American history include William Fout (1818-1892), a Union Army soldier during the American Civil War, and Samuel Fout (1856-1932), a businessman and politician who served as the mayor of Johnstown, Pennsylvania.
Other notable individuals with the FOUT surname throughout history include:
1. Hubert Fout (1879-1962), a Belgian painter and artist known for his landscapes and portraits.
2. Christiaan Fout (1892-1968), a Dutch architect and urban planner who designed several notable buildings in the Netherlands.
3. Marguerite Fout (1902-1988), a French writer and novelist who published several acclaimed works in the 20th century.
4. Hans Fout (1920-2005), a German engineer and inventor who held several patents for various mechanical devices.
5. Annette Fout (born 1965), a Canadian Olympic swimmer who competed in the 1988 and 1992 Summer Olympics.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Fout
Among Census respondents with the surname Fout, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.5%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.3%) and Hispanic (3.2%).
The bar chart below shows how Fout 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 Fout surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White90.5% · 1,608
- Two or more races4.3% · 76
- Hispanic or Latino3.2% · 56
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.0% · 18
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 11
- Black or African American0.4% · 7
Timeline
Historical Census data for Fout
Fout 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
#15,647
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,867
+72 bearers (+4.0%)
Per 100,000 0.63
Rank movement Down 569 places
2020
#15,803
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,776
-91 bearers (-4.9%)
Per 100,000 0.59
Rank movement Down 156 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #15,078 | 1,795 | 0.67 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #15,647 | 1,867 | 0.63 | +72 bearers (+4.0%) | Down 569 places |
| 2020 | #15,803 | 1,776 | 0.59 | -91 bearers (-4.9%) | Down 156 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 Fout 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 | #15,647 | #15,803 | -1.0% |
| Count | 1,867 | 1,776 | -4.9% |
| Per 100K | 0.63 | 0.59 | -5.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Fout bearers went from 1,867 to 1,776 (-4.9% change). The surname moved down 156 positions in the national ranking, going from #15,647 to #15,803.
FAQ
Fout surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Fout?
Name Census estimates that about 2,037 living Americans carry the surname Fout. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 168,264 residents.
How common is Fout?
Fout ranks #15,803 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.59 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 1,776 people with the surname Fout. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,037), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.59 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.59 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Fout.
Has Fout become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Fout went from 1,867 recorded bearers to 1,776. That is a decrease of 91 (-4.9%). In the national ranking it fell from #15,647 to #15,803.
What does the Census say about the background of Fout?
Among Census respondents with the surname Fout, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.5%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.3%) and Hispanic (3.2%). 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 Fout in the 2020 Census, accounting for 90.5% (1,608 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Fout appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (90.5%), Two or More Races (4.3%), Hispanic (3.2%). 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 Fout (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 Fout mean?
A Dutch surname meaning "mistake" or "error". 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 Fout (0.59 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 Fout?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.