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

Fouts, 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 Fouts surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Fouts in America

Fouts is the 6171st most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Fouts surname appeared 5,545 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 2 people would have the surname Fouts.

We can also compare 2010 data for Fouts 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 Fouts

The surname Fouts is believed to have originated in Germany, specifically in the southern regions around Bavaria and Baden-Württemberg. It is thought to have derived from the Germanic word "fud," which means "foot." This suggests that the name may have initially referred to a person with a distinctive foot or gait.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Codex Diplomaticus Saxoniae Regiae, a collection of historical documents from Saxony, dating back to the 13th century. In this text, a certain "Henricus Fouts" is mentioned as a landowner in the region.

During the Middle Ages, the name appeared to have spread across various parts of central Europe, with variations in spelling such as Foutz, Fautz, and Fautzsch. There are records of individuals with these surnames in medieval tax rolls and property deeds from cities like Nuremberg and Augsburg.

In the 16th century, a notable figure bearing this name was Johannes Fouts, a German cartographer and mathematician who was born in Würzburg in 1521 and died in 1590. He produced several detailed maps of the German states and made significant contributions to the field of cartography.

Another prominent individual was Johann Baptist Fouts, a Bavarian composer and organist who lived from 1721 to 1789. He composed numerous works for the church and is considered an important figure in the development of sacred music during the Baroque period.

In the 19th century, a German-American industrialist named Heinrich Fouts (1832-1912) immigrated to the United States and established a successful manufacturing company in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. His business played a crucial role in the city's industrial growth during that era.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name in North America can be traced back to the late 17th century, when a family by the name of Fouts settled in the colony of Pennsylvania. Over time, the surname spread to other parts of the United States and Canada, with some variations in spelling emerging, such as Foutts and Foutes.

Throughout its history, the surname Fouts has been associated with various occupations, including farmers, artisans, merchants, and professionals. While it may have originated from a descriptive term, the name has evolved to become a distinctive marker of identity for families across different regions and cultures.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Fouts

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

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

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

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