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Fox Family History

Fox Name 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: Box, Low, Noe, Foy, Cox, Knox, Fax, Fey, Fix, Mox

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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 1891 there were 4,675 Fox families living in Yorkshire. This was about 18% of all the recorded Fox's in United Kingdom. Yorkshire had the highest population of Fox families in 1891.
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 1939, General Labourer and Unpaid Domestic Duties were the top reported jobs for men and women in the United Kingdom named Fox. 7% of Fox men worked as a General Labourer and 64% of Fox women worked as an Unpaid Domestic Duties. Some less common occupations for Americans named Fox were Farm Labourer and Private Means. .

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 1939

  • General Labourer
    7%
  • Builders Labourer
    3%
  • Incapacitated
    3%
  • Farm Labourer
    2%

Top Female Occupations In 1939

  • Unpaid Domestic Duties
    64%
  • Housewife
    3%
  • Unpaid Domestic
    2%
  • Private Means
    2%
Black & white image of two construction labourers

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 UK 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 UK, and how they made the journey - from the ship name to ports of arrival and departure.

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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.

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What is the average Fox lifespan?

Between 1940 and 2004, in the United States, Fox life expectancy was at its lowest point in 1943, and highest in 2004. The average life expectancy for Fox in 1940 was 47, and 76 in 2004.

View Social Security Death Index (SSDI) for Fox

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