Surname Foskett - Meaning and Origin

Foskett: What does the surname Foskett mean?

The last name Foskett is a patronymic surname derived from the Anglo-Saxon personal name Fosca which is believed to have been derived from the Old Norse name Fossi meaning waterfall. It is believed to have come from a remote village near Normandy in France. The name spread to England during the Norman Conquest and by the middle ages it was used as a surname. Although its meaning is uncertain, the root word fossi could be related to the old English word fors meaning “a rushing stream”.

The Foskett surname is first found in the North and East Riding of Yorkshire, England, in the late 16th century. Since then, the family has spread throughout the world, with the majority of Foskett descendants living in the English-speaking world.

The name Foskett usually refers to a person who is either a descendant of a noble family or a person of distinguished name. It is also associated with loyalty, courage and service. These qualities have been carried through the generations, preserving the meaning of the name and its important place in British history.

Foskett: Where does the name Foskett come from?

The last name Foskett is most commonly found in the United Kingdom today. The surname was first found in Essex, with the earliest record of the name being John Fosket in 1291. The name can also be found in the United States, Canada, and Australia, though it appears to be more common in the United Kingdom.

In the United Kingdom, it is particularly prominent in the county of Essex, with the highest number of Fosketts living in the county of Leicester. This is likely due to the fact that many of the original Essex settlers left for Leicester in the 18th century in search of better economic opportunities.

The surname may also be found in other parts of the country, especially in cities and towns near Essex. Some examples of Fosketts living in other parts of the United Kingdom include Stephen Fosket in Dorset, Robert Foskett in London, and George Foskett in Sussex.

Outside of the United Kingdom, there are Fosketts living in Australia, Canada, and the United States as well, particularly in large cities such as Toronto, New York, Chicago, and Los Angeles. Many of these families immigrated in the late 19th and early 20th centuries in search of better economic opportunities and new lives for themselves and their families.

Overall, the surname Foskett is found throughout the English-speaking world, though most commonly in the United Kingdom, especially in the county of Essex.

Variations of the surname Foskett

The surname ‘Foskett’ can be a variant of Surtees, Forscott, Fosket, Foscett, Foskitt, Foskete or Foskatt. Many of the variants have had multiple spellings through the centuries, providing many different ways to locate the family, such as Foscott, Forscutt, Foskitt, Fosket and Foskete.

The origins of the name can be traced to Old English, where it derived from the personal name ‘Fosse’ and ‘cote’, which was an enclosed courtyard. This was initially used as a metonymic for the people who lived near or on the lands of ‘Fosse’ or ‘Fosscott’.

This surname can also appear as Foskerd (found mainly in Lancashire and Yorkshire) and Foskett (found mainly in London). It can be recorded that family members with the same surname can have a different spelling due to varying dialects, and this can be noticed across England.

Some rare variants of the surname Foskett are Forscutt, Faska, Fosquette, Foskert and Fosgett. Variant spellings of the Foskett surname include Faskett, Foskite, Fosked, Fosket, Fosquire and Fossit. Surnames that have similar spellings include Forscutt, Forskett, Foscutt, Forsquit and Fosquitt.

The Foskett surname could have derived from multiple sources. One possibility is from the Old English word for an enclosed courtyard - ‘fosse cote’. The dialect of the surname also has an effect on variants of the spelling seen today. Variation in spellings from many countries and in many cases, different eras have resulted in multiple different variants of the same surname.

Famous people with the name Foskett

• WJ Foskett: stage actor and playwright
• Eugene Foskett: former MLB pitcher
• Angus Foskett: British voice actor
• James Foskett: English cricketer
• Jennie Foskett: British television presenter
• Caroline Foskett: Australian children's author
• Carol Foskett Cushing: American diplomat
• Ellen Foskett: English school teacher
• Jo Foskett: Canadian drama teacher and actor
• Eoin Foskett: Irish rugby union player
• Steve Foskett: American technology executive
• Mary Foskett: British radio music director
• Hazel Foskett: British cake entrepreneur
• John Foskett: British writer and academic
• Gavin Foskett: English actor

Other surnames

FoskerFoskew