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

Fowkes, 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 Fowkes surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Fowkes in America

Fowkes is the 32031st most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Fowkes surname appeared 720 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 people would have the surname Fowkes.

We can also compare 2010 data for Fowkes 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 Fowkes

The surname Fowkes originates from England and is believed to date back to the 13th century. It is thought to be a locational name derived from the Old English words "fugelcot" or "fuglecot," meaning a small bird house or shelter for fowls. This suggests that the name likely originated from a place where someone lived near or worked with birds or poultry.

One of the earliest known records of the name Fowkes can be found in the Hundredorum Rolls of Bedfordshire, dated around 1273. This document contains the name "Willelmus de Fughelcote," which is believed to be an early spelling variation of the surname.

In the 14th century, the name appeared in various records across different regions of England. For instance, the Subsidy Rolls of Worcestershire from 1327 mentioned a "Johannes Fowkes," while the Poll Tax Returns of Yorkshire from 1379 listed a "Willelmus Foughkes."

Throughout history, several notable individuals have borne the surname Fowkes. One of the earliest recorded was Sir John Fowkes (c. 1415-1490), a prominent English politician and member of Parliament during the Wars of the Roses. Another notable figure was Richard Fowkes (c. 1570-1638), an English clergyman and author who served as the Archdeacon of Berkshire.

In the 17th century, the name Fowkes was associated with places like Fowkes Hall in Staffordshire and Fowkes Manor in Gloucestershire, suggesting that some branches of the family may have derived their name from these locations.

Other notable individuals with the surname include William Fowkes (1716-1795), an English artist known for his landscapes and portraits, and John Fowkes (1790-1860), a British architect and civil engineer who designed several notable buildings in London.

The name Fowkes has also been linked to various place names and older spellings throughout history. For example, the village of Fowke in Lincolnshire is believed to have been derived from the same Old English root as the surname, while the spelling "Foughkes" was commonly used in medieval records.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Fowkes

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

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

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

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