2000
#2,432
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 13,630
First available Census row
Per 100,000 5.05
Uncommon Last name
Foy
A topographic surname of Norman origin referring to someone who lived near a beech tree or beech wood.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 13,733 Americans carry the last name Foy. That puts it at #2,939 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 4.01 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 24,958 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Foy 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.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Foy with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
14K
1 in 24,958
Census rank
#2,939
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
4.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
12K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 11,976 bearers of the surname Foy in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 4.01 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 2939th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Foy, the largest self-reported group is White at 68.7%. The next largest groups are Black (22.1%) and Hispanic (4.1%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Foy
The surname Foy has its origins in medieval France, where it first emerged in the region of Normandy during the 11th century. Derived from the Old French word "fouee," meaning a small forest or thicket, the name likely referred to someone who lived near or worked in a wooded area.
One of the earliest known references to the Foy surname can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, which recorded landowners and tenants in England following the Norman Conquest. The name appears as "Foy" and "Foye," suggesting it had already taken root in both France and England by this time.
In the 12th century, the name Foy was documented in various historical records, including the Pipe Rolls of Lincolnshire in 1166, where a certain Robert Foy was mentioned. During this period, the surname also appeared in different spellings, such as "Foye," "Foix," and "Foyez," reflecting regional variations in pronunciation and spelling conventions.
One notable figure bearing the Foy surname was Sir Thomas Foy (c. 1409-1483), a prominent English knight and courtier during the Wars of the Roses. He served under King Edward IV and was appointed Lieutenant of the Tower of London in 1471.
Another historical figure was François de Foix (1512-1594), a French nobleman and diplomat who played a significant role in the French Wars of Religion. He served as the Ambassador of France to England and was a prominent figure in the court of King Henry IV.
In the 17th century, the Foy surname gained recognition through the exploits of Captain William Foy (c. 1630-1692), an English privateer and sailor who gained fame for his daring exploits during the Anglo-Dutch Wars.
The name Foy also has connections to various place names, including the town of Foy in the Vendée department of western France, as well as Foy-Notre-Dame and Foy-Saint-Sulpice, both located in the Seine-Maritime region of Normandy.
Throughout history, several other individuals with the Foy surname have made notable contributions, such as James Foy (1796-1865), an Irish-born American architect who designed several prominent buildings in New York City, and Sir Raphael Foy (1897-1958), a British Army officer who served in both World Wars and was awarded the Military Cross for his bravery.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Foy
Among Census respondents with the surname Foy, the largest self-reported group is White at 68.7%. The next largest groups are Black (22.1%) and Hispanic (4.1%).
The bar chart below shows how Foy 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 Foy surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White68.7% · 8,228
- Black or African American22.1% · 2,649
- Hispanic or Latino4.1% · 491
- Two or more races3.8% · 461
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 93
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.5% · 54
Timeline
Historical Census data for Foy
Foy 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
#2,786
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 12,952
-678 bearers (-5.0%)
Per 100,000 4.39
Rank movement Down 354 places
2020
#2,939
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 11,976
-976 bearers (-7.5%)
Per 100,000 4.01
Rank movement Down 153 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #2,432 | 13,630 | 5.05 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #2,786 | 12,952 | 4.39 | -678 bearers (-5.0%) | Down 354 places |
| 2020 | #2,939 | 11,976 | 4.01 | -976 bearers (-7.5%) | Down 153 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 Foy 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 | #2,786 | #2,939 | -5.5% |
| Count | 12,952 | 11,976 | -7.5% |
| Per 100K | 4.39 | 4.01 | -8.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Foy bearers went from 12,952 to 11,976 (-7.5% change). The surname moved down 153 positions in the national ranking, going from #2,786 to #2,939.
FAQ
Foy surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Foy?
Name Census estimates that about 13,733 living Americans carry the surname Foy. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 24,958 residents.
How common is Foy?
Foy ranks #2,939 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 4.01 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 11,976 people with the surname Foy. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (13,733), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 4.01 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 4.01 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 Foy.
Has Foy become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Foy went from 12,952 recorded bearers to 11,976. That is a decrease of 976 (-7.5%). In the national ranking it fell from #2,786 to #2,939.
What does the Census say about the background of Foy?
Among Census respondents with the surname Foy, the largest self-reported group is White at 68.7%. The next largest groups are Black (22.1%) and Hispanic (4.1%). 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 Foy in the 2020 Census, accounting for 68.7% (8,228 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Foy appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (68.7%), Black (22.1%), Hispanic (4.1%). 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 Foy (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 Foy mean?
A topographic surname of Norman origin referring to someone who lived near a beech tree or beech wood. 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 Foy (4.01 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 share the surname Foy?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.