Fox Surname

1,595th
Most Common
surname in the World

Approximately 340,653 people bear this surname

Most prevalent in:
United States
Highest density in:
Bermuda

Fox Surname Definition:

William Fox was tenant in lands of the Abbey of Kelso, 1567 (Kelso, p. 528). William Fox in Bogtoune of Dulleward, 1631 (Brechin). In England this name has its home in the Midlands. In the Hundred Rolls of the time of Edward I the name occurs in Notts, Worcestershire, and Oxfordshire.

Read More About This Surname

Fox Surname Distribution Map

By incidenceBy frequencyBy rank
Incidence (high to low)Incidence (low to high)Alphabetic A-ZAlphabetic Z-ARank (high to low)Rank (low to high)
PlaceIncidenceFrequencyRank in Area
United States205,0221:1,768147
England51,8041:1,076107
Australia18,7981:1,436163
Canada13,6971:2,690329
Egypt8,2071:11,2021,331
Ireland7,3271:643109
Sudan4,4801:8,3731,185
New Zealand2,9001:1,561192
Germany2,6911:29,9173,940
Scotland2,5801:2,075377
South Africa2,2971:23,5862,997
Angola1,7751:15,2051,826
Northern Ireland1,7211:1,072211
Wales1,6491:1,877182
Bahamas1,2601:31170
Bangladesh1,0811:147,4165,565
France9591:69,2629,630
Ghana9011:29,9903,547
Thailand6681:105,74615,363
Morocco6481:53,2048,802
Mexico6441:192,7435,312
Netherlands5071:33,3085,549
Spain4851:96,3967,979
Argentina4801:89,0497,503
Brazil3911:547,50520,507
Jamaica3701:7,757910
Sri Lanka3651:57,0106,293
Fiji3461:2,585436
Nicaragua3421:17,606931
Belgium3231:35,5935,809
Peru3221:98,7086,338
Italy3101:197,28028,586
Solomon Islands3041:1,908152
Philippines2861:353,98047,460
Bermuda2571:25424
Portugal2261:46,0982,654
China2121:6,449,630502
Malawi1831:93,54711,397
Dominican Republic1691:61,7333,013
Colombia1661:287,7965,662
Botswana1651:13,2542,545
Saudi Arabia1591:194,06229,524
Chile1551:113,6554,162
Poland1531:248,42331,442
Trinidad and Tobago1501:9,0931,288
Paraguay1491:48,5691,417
India1341:5,724,369136,722
Papua New Guinea1231:66,2908,647
Sweden1211:81,3786,033
Jersey1191:83489
Israel1181:72,5228,891
Switzerland1131:72,6818,609
Guyana1091:6,9931,154
Panama1081:36,2251,986
Guinea951:124,566907
Austria941:90,59013,329
Bahrain881:15,3253,085
Isle of Man821:1,047161
Venezuela821:368,3427,849
Denmark801:70,5597,018
Zimbabwe651:237,51126,018
Honduras491:179,9272,138
Norway471:109,41014,618
Japan401:3,196,10733,800
Hong Kong391:188,0892,978
Kuwait391:97,45410,676
Malaysia381:776,16436,096
Guernsey371:1,742400
Greece341:325,87646,418
Czechia321:332,29640,874
Indonesia321:4,132,787209,071
Iraq311:1,129,73113,630
Cyprus281:31,6033,400
Guam251:6,405908
Luxembourg231:25,2414,722
Nigeria191:9,323,303191,560
Oman191:194,1043,633
Vietnam191:4,876,1082,402
United States Virgin Islands181:6,132931
Ecuador171:935,63814,108
Singapore171:323,98313,856
South Korea171:3,014,133592
Algeria161:2,414,47244,357
Mozambique161:1,703,8482,274
Myanmar161:3,246,124792
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines161:7,041703
Costa Rica151:318,6713,310
Estonia151:88,12015,474
Hungary141:701,16338,752
Slovakia141:381,17550,143
Turks and Caicos Islands131:2,641268
Finland121:458,05828,977
Croatia111:384,41933,360
Tanzania101:5,294,16157,086
United Arab Emirates101:916,22736,116
Ethiopia91:10,838,47414,518
Libya91:693,7751,982
Taiwan91:2,604,97216,335
Uruguay91:381,30622,825
Saint Kitts and Nevis81:6,900616
Monaco71:5,295668
Syria71:2,757,28911,022
American Samoa61:9,2931,961
British Virgin Islands61:5,266561
Gibraltar61:5,659991
Lebanon61:939,51416,645
Qatar61:393,00055,922
Uganda61:6,506,546123,710
Afghanistan51:6,430,63727,710
Cambodia51:3,097,4298,690
Cuba51:2,304,5438,951
Ivory Coast51:4,614,24651,139
Turkey51:15,564,284149,633
Bulgaria41:1,744,72646,837
Curaçao41:39,312638
El Salvador41:1,585,9724,802
Guatemala41:4,020,6677,726
Kazakhstan41:4,420,624134,293
Madagascar41:5,912,4595,394
Malta41:107,5681,849
Mongolia41:706,32211,365
Saint Lucia41:44,6952,207
Ukraine41:11,380,674331,818
Albania31:971,35222,477
Bolivia31:3,538,81111,393
Bosnia and Herzegovina31:1,178,80115,876
Cameroon31:6,923,023143,724
Romania31:6,692,62378,504
Yemen31:8,808,43135,773
Andorra21:41,9191,654
Belize21:177,7373,502
Georgia21:1,872,77235,618
Kyrgyzstan21:2,986,32784,533
Latvia21:1,025,02341,546
Lithuania21:1,517,29435,813
North Macedonia21:1,050,73626,362
Pakistan21:89,321,942157,560
Puerto Rico21:1,775,0706,602
Russia21:72,061,528727,117
Zambia21:7,924,96145,994
Antigua and Barbuda11:99,1712,137
Aruba11:103,4772,586
Azerbaijan11:9,649,12247,873
Barbados11:287,4482,772
Bhutan11:616,0391,715
Brunei11:418,7313,893
Burkina Faso11:18,352,10030,051
Burundi11:9,804,8522,349
Cayman Islands11:63,8932,384
Cook Islands11:18,1791,485
Dominica11:75,891912
Eritrea11:4,751,901911
Faroe Islands11:48,9982,049
French Polynesia11:280,8057,211
Haiti11:10,683,90724,607
Iceland11:380,09011,096
Iran11:76,782,524277,718
Jordan11:8,842,43726,010
Kenya11:46,179,900103,372
Kosovo11:1,861,86914,990
Liechtenstein11:38,3781,726
Maldives11:404,1727,269
Mauritius11:1,293,41716,552
Micronesia11:106,2431,380
Moldova11:3,561,36878,271
Namibia11:2,409,40119,676
Nepal11:28,480,95622,413
New Caledonia11:276,22310,363
Niger11:19,192,017110,060
Palau11:21,643223
Samoa11:193,8081,089
Senegal11:14,579,34211,705
Serbia11:7,144,94838,459
Seychelles11:92,3931,532
Sierra Leone11:7,089,6311,533
Slovenia11:2,487,67531,128
Somalia11:13,452,0619,224
Swaziland11:1,298,1991,718
Tonga11:107,313791
Tunisia11:610,62630,336
Vanuatu11:263,2762,086
Show All Nations
PlaceIncidenceFrequencyRank in Area
Ireland5,5501:798131
Incidence (high to low)Incidence (low to high)Alphabetic A-ZAlphabetic Z-ARank (high to low)Rank (low to high)
PlaceIncidenceFrequencyRank in Area
England26,0581:93596
Scotland1,3071:2,864492
Wales4981:3,149208
Jersey351:1,482235
Guernsey51:6,5311,136
Isle of Man11:54,2692,077
PlaceIncidenceFrequencyRank in Area
United States39,8311:1,261118

The alternate forms: Fóx (1) are calculated separately.

Fox (4,736) may also be a first name.

Fox Surname Meaning

From Where Does The Surname Originate? meaning and history

William Fox was tenant in lands of the Abbey of Kelso, 1567 (Kelso, p. 528). William Fox in Bogtoune of Dulleward, 1631 (Brechin). In England this name has its home in the Midlands. In the Hundred Rolls of the time of Edward I the name occurs in Notts, Worcestershire, and Oxfordshire. Usually considered a nickname, but Lower and Harrison say it may sometimes represent Fowkes or Fawkes.

— The Surnames of Scotland (1946) by George Fraser Black (1866-1948)

(English) 1 a nickname or sign-name from the animal [Old English fox] 2 occasionally for Fowkes or Fawkes = Foulkes, q.v.

— Surnames of the United Kingdom (1912) by Henry Harrison

English Foxes settled in Co. Limerick. For Irish Foxes see Kearney, MacAshinah, Shanahy, Shinnock.

Bibl; IF 151,192; MIF 12; Map Off; Plate XII

— A Guide to Irish Names (1964) by Edward MacLysaght

(English) Dweller at the sign of the fox; one with some of the qualities of a fox.

— Dictionary of American Family Names (1956) by Elsdon Coles Smith

1. From the animal, like Wolf, Bear, Boar, &c. Le Fox. H.R.

— Patronymica Britannica (1860) by Mark Antony Lower

A name taken from the cunning animal; about the year 1333 the Shanachs in Ireland anglicised their name to Fox.

— An Etymological Dictionary of Family and Christian Names (1857) by William Arthur

Robert Reinard (Fox) of Normandy, 1198 (Magni Rotuli Scaccarii Normanniae); Turstain Renouard t. Henry VI.; also Aeliz and Ranulph Renouard 1198 (Ib.). Gilbert le Fox and others of the name in England, c. 1272 (Rotuli Hundredorum), the name being translated. Before this time the name was Rainer, Renard, &c. William Vulpis or Renard in 1148 held lands from the Bishop of Winchester (Wint. Domesd.). The family long continued there as Le Fox, and from it descended the Earls of Ilchester and Lords Holland. Other families, both native and foreign, bear the name.

— The Norman People (1874)

From the Old Norse, Foka; from the Frisian, Fokke, Fauke; from the Flemish, Fockx; from the Swedish, Fock; a personal name.$

— British Family Names: Their Origin and Meaning (1903) by Henry Barber

Fox: The Fox and Grapes and the Fox and Hounds are common tavern signs. But Fox is also a corruption of Fawkes, itself a rendering in the vernacular of Folko or Foulques, a Norman name. We have also the name Tod (a male fox), Renaud or Renard or Reynard; but these latter are alterations of the Norman name that came from Reginhard, and had nothing to do with foxes.

— Family Names And Their Story (1913) by Sabine Baring-Gould

Fox. —This name has its home in the midlands, being particularly numerous in Derbyshire, and afterwards in Notts, Leicestershire. and Oxfordshire. It is not represented in my list in the south - west of England. When we examine the Hundred Rolls of the time of Edward I., we find that this name occurred then in Notts, Worcestershire, and Oxfordshire—counties where it is established in our own time; it was also found in that reign in Cambridgeshire and Beds.

— Homes of Family Names in Great Britain (1890) by Henry Brougham Guppy

The noted family of Fox of Derby came originally from Grete in Warwickshire, where the parent family resided during the 15th and 16th centuries; they settled in Derby about 200 years ago (G.).

— Homes of Family Names in Great Britain (1890) by Henry Brougham Guppy

User-submitted Reference

The Irish surname Fox originates from a nickname. Nicknames were used to identify a particular feature or trait of an individual. Nicknames have been applied to many historical figures, and were in general use before ancestral surnames were introduced. The surnames Short, Long, and White are readily identified as nicknames. In this case, the name would have been applied to someone who was considered to be cunning. This name was not meant to be uncomplimentary, otherwise it would not have been so frequently and willingly accepted.

Also, the surname is of family origin. Surnames of family name origin were derived from the given or baptismal name of an ancestor. This name was in many cases inherited and held collectively by members of a family group. Initially surnames identified one by connection to a family member, foremost being the father. In this case the name is an Anglicization, by translation, of the Gaelic "Mac an tSionnaigh", which means 'son of the fox'. The Irish and Scottish prefix, Mac-, means 'son of'.

Early records of the Irish surname Fox show they became extensive landowners in county Limerick and are perpetuated there in the place name Mountfox, near Kilmallock. In Ireland the name Fox is found in every county, though nowhere in very large numbers. It is most numerous in Dublin, Longford, Tyron and Leitrim. The head of the sept has been known for centuries as "The Fox". Well known bearers of the surname Fox in Ireland include Sir Patrick Fox of Westmeath, who was the State Interpreter in 1568. More recently, Charlotte Fox, born 1864, was the founder of the Irish Folk Song Society.

Blazon of Arms: Argent a lion rampant and in chief two dexter hands couped at the wrist gules.

Translation: Argent represents the color silver or white, and indicates harmony and sincerity. Gules being red indicates military resolution and magnanimity.

Crest: An arm embowed in armor holding a sword.

Motto: Sionnach Abu ('Fox Forever').

- deleted-25660
DNA test information
Display Statistics on:

Fox Demographics

Average Male Fox Height

176.71 cm

Average male height (US):
175.3 cm
Sample size: 3,821 (2014)

Average Female Fox Height

162.89 cm

Average female height (US):
161.5 cm
Sample size: 572 (2014)

Sample is predominantly from Anglosphere countries

View the tallest/shortest surnames in the world

Fox Last Name Facts

Where Does The Last Name Fox Come From? nationality or country of origin

The surname Fox occurs more in The United States more than any other country/territory. It can occur as a variant: Fóx. For other possible spellings of Fox click here.

How Common Is The Last Name Fox? popularity and diffusion

This surname is the 1,595th most commonly occurring surname world-wide. It is borne by around 1 in 21,393 people. The surname is primarily found in The Americas, where 66 percent of Fox live; 64 percent live in North America and 64 percent live in Anglo-North America. Fox is also the 99,480th most commonly held forename throughout the world. It is borne by 4,736 people.

The last name Fox is most frequent in The United States, where it is held by 205,022 people, or 1 in 1,768. In The United States Fox is primarily found in: California, where 9 percent live, New York, where 6 percent live and Texas, where 6 percent live. Without taking into account The United States Fox is found in 180 countries. It is also common in England, where 15 percent live and Australia, where 6 percent live.

Fox Family Population Trend historical fluctuation

The occurrence of Fox has changed over time. In The United States the number of people bearing the Fox last name rose 515 percent between 1880 and 2014; in England it rose 199 percent between 1881 and 2014; in Ireland it rose 132 percent between 1901 and 2014; in Scotland it rose 197 percent between 1881 and 2014 and in Wales it rose 331 percent between 1881 and 2014.

Fox Last Name Statistics demography

The religious devotion of those bearing the surname is principally Catholic (91%) in Ireland, Orthodox (84%) in Russia, Orthodox (100%) in Kazakhstan, Melkite Greek Catholic (67%) in Lebanon and Orthodox (74%) in Ukraine.

In The United States those bearing the Fox last name are 15.44% more likely to be registered Republicans than the national average, with 62.21% registered to vote for the party.

The amount Fox earn in different countries varies greatly. In Italy they earn 53.18% more than the national average, earning €46,000 per year; in Norway they earn 6.68% more than the national average, earning 369,196 kr per year; in Peru they earn 36.05% more than the national average, earning S/. 26,374 per year; in South Africa they earn 46% more than the national average, earning R 346,956 per year; in Colombia they earn 0.7% more than the national average, earning $22,861,700 COP per year; in United States they earn 2.68% more than the national average, earning $44,304 USD per year and in Canada they earn 7.96% more than the national average, earning $53,638 CAD per year.

Phonetically Similar Names

Incidence (high to low)Incidence (low to high)Alphabetic A-ZAlphabetic Z-ASimilarity (high to low)Similarity (low to high)Prevalent jurisdiction A-ZPrevalent jurisdiction Z-A
SurnameSimilarityWorldwide IncidencePrevalency
Fóx891/
Foix861,839/
Foxe86700/
Foux86472/
Foox86248/
Foex86132/
Foxx8646/
Foëx8644/
Foxs8644/
Fhox865/
Focx863/
Fosx862/
Foxt862/
Hfox861/
Fotx861/
Wfox861/
Foxd861/
Foxh861/
Foxp861/
Foxz861/
Foyx861/
Foqx861/
Fokx860/
Fuox860/
Foukx7521/
D'Fox752/
Hfoxs751/
Foutx751/
Foxht750/
Foxse750/
Fok6729,320/
Fos672,680/
Foz672,246/
Fog671,239/
Fex671,093/
Vox67755/
Fax67490/
Foj67327/
Foß67311/
Foq67177/
Foc67164/
Foxová6721/
Show All Similar Surnames

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Footnotes

  • Surnames are taken as the first part of an person's inherited family name, caste, clan name or in some cases patronymic
  • Descriptions may contain details on the name's etymology, origin, ethnicity and history. They are largely reproduced from 3rd party sources; diligence is advised on accepting their validity - more information
  • Name distribution statistics are generated from a global database of over 4 billion people - more information
  • Heatmap: Dark red means there is a higher occurrence of the name, transitioning to light yellow signifies a progressively lower occurrence. Clicking on selected countries will show mapping at a regional level
  • Rank: Name are ranked by incidence using the ordinal ranking method; the name that occurs the most is assigned a rank of 1; name that occur less frequently receive an incremented rank; if two or more name occur the same number of times they are assigned the same rank and successive rank is incremented by the total preceeding names
  • Ethnic group cannot necessarily be determined by geographic occurrence
  • Similar: Names listed in the "Similar" section are phonetically similar and may not have any relation to Fox
  • To find out more about this surname's family history, lookup records on Family​Search, My​Heritage, FindMyPast and Ancestry. Further information may be obtained by DNA analysis