This page needs Javascript enabled in order to work properly. Click here for instructions on how to enable it in your browser.
Surname Header Image
Get access to Fox family records.Start a 14-Day Free Trial

Fox Family History

Fox Surname Meaning

English: nickname from a word denoting the animal (Middle English Old English fox) widely used to denote a sly or cunning individual. It was also used for someone with red hair. In England, this surname absorbed some early examples of surnames derived from the ancient Germanic personal names mentioned at Faulks and Foulks.

Irish: part translation of Gaelic Mac an tSionnaigh ‘son of the fox’ (see Tinney). Irish: also adopted for Ó Catharnaigh see Kearney. Americanized form (translation into English) of surnames meaning ‘fox’ or ‘he-fox’ for example German and Jewish Fuchs and its Central German variant Fochs, Croatian Lisac, Slovenian Lisjak, and Finnish Kettunen.

See also Redfox Americanized form of Focks, a North German patronymic from the personal name Fock (see Volk).

Native American: translation into English (and shortening) of a personal name based on a word such as Cheyenne ma'ehoohe, meaning ‘fox’. The cultural significance of the fox to Native Americans is reflected in their traditional personal names, some of which were adopted as surnames (translated into English), e.g. Red Fox (see Redfox).

Source: Dictionary of American Family Names 2nd edition, 2022


Similar surnames

Search for a relative to learn more about your family history.

Hint: Try searching for a relative alive in 1940.

Where is the Fox family from?

You can see how Fox families moved over time by selecting different census years. The Fox family name was found in the USA, the UK, Canada, and Scotland between 1840 and 1920. The most Fox families were found in USA in 1880. In 1840 there were 466 Fox families living in New York. This was about 22% of all the recorded Fox's in USA. New York had the highest population of Fox families in 1840.
Use census records and voter lists to see where families with the Fox surname lived. Within census records, you can often find information like name of household members, ages, birthplaces, residences, and occupations.

What did your Fox ancestors do for a living?

In 1940, Farmer and Housewife were the top reported jobs for men and women in the USA named Fox. 13% of Fox men worked as a Farmer and 7% of Fox women worked as a Housewife. Some less common occupations for Americans named Fox were Clerk and Teacher.

View Census Data for Fox | Data not to scale

*We display top occupations by gender to maintain their historical accuracy during times when men and women often performed different jobs.

Top Male Occupations In 1940

  • Farmer
    13%
  • Laborer
    12%
  • Salesman
    6%
  • Clerk
    3%

Top Female Occupations In 1940

  • Housewife
    7%
  • Stenographer
    6%
  • Clerk
    5%
  • Teacher
    5%

What Fox family records will you find?

Census Records

There are 1 million census records available for the last name Fox. Like a window into their day-to-day life, Fox census records can tell you where and how your ancestors worked, their level of education, veteran status, and more.

Search US census records for Fox

Passenger Lists

There are 167,000 immigration records available for the last name Fox. Passenger lists are your ticket to knowing when your ancestors arrived in the USA, and how they made the journey - from the ship name to ports of arrival and departure.

View all Fox immigration records

Draft Cards

There are 186,000 military records available for the last name Fox. For the veterans among your Fox ancestors, military collections provide insights into where and when they served, and even physical descriptions.

View all Fox military records

You've only scratched the surface of Fox family history

Discover More

Discover the unique achievements of ancestors in the Fox family tree

Explore Your Tree
Search for another surname
Enter last name/surname
Start a 14-Day Free Trial