Explore the Family Name Foucault
The meaning of Foucault
1. French: from a personal name composed of the ancient Germanic elements folk ‘people’ + wald ‘rule’. 2. Altered form of French Fouquereau, itself derived from Fouquier, a variant of Foucher. History: Jean Foucault from Bordeaux in Gironde, France, married Élisabeth Sarrazin in Île Jésus, QC, in 1756. — In North America, this surname was originally also a secondary surname or dit (‘also called’) name, borne by Jean-Baptiste Lemire dit Foucault (a grandson of Jean Lemire from France; see Lemire), who married Marie-Catherine Pinard in Nicolet, QC, in 1731. Some characteristic forenames: French Andre, Achille, Germain, Lucien, Pascal, Pierre.
Dictionary of American Family Names, 2nd edition, © Oxford University Press, 2022.
How common is the last name Foucault in the United States?
Based on the Decennial U.S. Census, the surname Foucault has grown in popularity between 2000 and 2010. In 2000, it held the rank of 56,246 and by 2010 it had risen to 51,941, a 7.65 percent increase. The count of individuals with the Foucault name also increased during this period from 340 to 400, marking an impressive rise of 17.65 percent. The proportion per 100,000 also saw a slight growth from 0.13 to 0.14, equating to a 7.69 percent change.
| 2000 | 2010 | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #56,246 | #51,941 | 7.65% |
| Count | 340 | 400 | 17.65% |
| Proportion per 100k | 0.13 | 0.14 | 7.69% |
Race and Ethnicity of people with the last name Foucault
In terms of ethnicity, the data from the Decennial U.S. Census shows that the majority of individuals with the Foucault surname identify as White. This group made up 92.35 percent of all Foucaults in 2000, but dropped slightly to 86.50 percent by 2010. The percentage of those identifying as Black saw a substantial increase from 5.59 percent in 2000 to 11.75 percent in 2010. Notably, the data reveals a new addition to the ethnic identity of people with this surname: the Hispanic group, which accounted for 1.25 percent in 2010. Meanwhile, other groups such as Asian/Pacific Islander and American Indian and Alaskan Native remained at zero percent, while the data for those identifying with two or more races was suppressed for privacy reasons.
| 2000 | 2010 | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| White | 92.35% | 86.5% | -6.33% |
| Black | 5.59% | 11.75% | 110.2% |
| Hispanic | 0% | 1.25% | 0% |
| Asian/Pacific Islander | 0% | 0% | 0% |
| Two or More Races | 0% | 0% | 0% |
| American Indian and Alaskan Native | 0% | 0% | 0% |