2000
#14,314
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,920
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.71
Rare Last name
Foutch
Derived from the Dutch word "vocht," meaning "damp" or "moist," likely referring to someone who lived near a wetland.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,172 Americans carry the last name Foutch. That puts it at #14,982 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.63 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 157,806 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Foutch 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
2.2K
1 in 157,806
Census rank
#14,982
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.6
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
1.9K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 1,894 bearers of the surname Foutch in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.63 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 14982nd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Foutch, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.5%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (5.1%) and Hispanic (3.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Foutch
The surname "FOUTCH" is believed to have originated in France, with its roots dating back to the 12th or 13th century. It is thought to be a variation of the French word "fouache," which means "a type of bread" or "a small cake." This suggests that the name may have initially been an occupational surname given to bakers or those involved in the production of bread or pastries.
In its early days, the name was likely spelled in various ways, such as "Fouache," "Fouasche," or "Fouache." Over time, as the name spread to different regions and underwent linguistic changes, it evolved into the modern spelling of "FOUTCH."
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the "Livre des Métiers" (Book of Trades), a 13th-century manuscript that documented the various professions and trades in Paris. This document includes references to individuals with the surname "Fouache," lending credence to the theory that the name was initially associated with bakers or bread makers.
As the name spread across France and into neighboring regions, it likely became associated with certain localities or place names. For example, there are records of individuals with the surname "Foutch" or similar variations residing in the town of Fouchères in the Champagne-Ardenne region of France during the 16th and 17th centuries.
Throughout history, several notable individuals have borne the surname "FOUTCH." One such person was Jean Foutch, a French soldier who fought in the Hundred Years' War against the English in the 15th century. Another was Pierre Foutch, a prominent merchant and trader from Lyon, France, who lived in the late 16th century and established trade routes across Europe.
In the 18th century, there was a family of Foutch winemakers in the Burgundy region of France, with Jacques Foutch (1712-1786) being particularly renowned for his exceptional wines. Additionally, Marie Foutch (1789-1862), a French artist and painter, gained recognition for her portraits and landscapes during the Romantic era.
Across the Atlantic, one of the earliest recorded instances of the name in America was that of Jean-Baptiste Foutch, a French immigrant who settled in Louisiana in the late 18th century and became a successful plantation owner.
While these are just a few examples, the surname "FOUTCH" has a rich history that spans centuries and various parts of the world, with its origins deeply rooted in the cultural and occupational traditions of France.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Foutch
Among Census respondents with the surname Foutch, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.5%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (5.1%) and Hispanic (3.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Foutch 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 Foutch surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White88.5% · 1,677
- Two or more races5.1% · 96
- Hispanic or Latino3.5% · 66
- Black or African American1.3% · 25
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.1% · 20
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.5% · 10
Timeline
Historical Census data for Foutch
Foutch 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
#15,020
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,966
+46 bearers (+2.4%)
Per 100,000 0.67
Rank movement Down 706 places
2020
#14,982
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,894
-72 bearers (-3.7%)
Per 100,000 0.63
Rank movement Up 38 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #14,314 | 1,920 | 0.71 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #15,020 | 1,966 | 0.67 | +46 bearers (+2.4%) | Down 706 places |
| 2020 | #14,982 | 1,894 | 0.63 | -72 bearers (-3.7%) | Up 38 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 Foutch 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 | #15,020 | #14,982 | 0.3% |
| Count | 1,966 | 1,894 | -3.7% |
| Per 100K | 0.67 | 0.63 | -5.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Foutch bearers went from 1,966 to 1,894 (-3.7% change). The surname moved up 38 positions in the national ranking, going from #15,020 to #14,982.
FAQ
Foutch surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Foutch?
Name Census estimates that about 2,172 living Americans carry the surname Foutch. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 157,806 residents.
How common is Foutch?
Foutch ranks #14,982 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.63 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 1,894 people with the surname Foutch. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,172), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.63 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.63 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 Foutch.
Has Foutch become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Foutch went from 1,966 recorded bearers to 1,894. That is a decrease of 72 (-3.7%). In the national ranking it rose from #15,020 to #14,982.
What does the Census say about the background of Foutch?
Among Census respondents with the surname Foutch, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.5%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (5.1%) and Hispanic (3.5%). 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 Foutch in the 2020 Census, accounting for 88.5% (1,677 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Foutch appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (88.5%), Two or More Races (5.1%), Hispanic (3.5%). 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 Foutch (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 Foutch mean?
Derived from the Dutch word "vocht," meaning "damp" or "moist," likely referring to someone who lived near a wetland. 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 Foutch (0.63 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 people are called Foutch?
Want to know how common the surname Foutch is? HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, puts the living-bearer count front and centre.