Foust History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
Germany

The German province known as the Rhineland is the ancestral home of the Foust family. The German people originally used only one name, but as the population grew there was often confusion between people of the same name. This required people to adopt hereditary surnames. Many people took surnames based on nicknames - sometimes known as eke-names - that described certain personal characteristics. Foust is a name for a person who was strong and pugnacious and was derived from the Old German word "fust," which meant "fist."

Early Origins of the Foust family

The surname Foust was first found in Strasbourg, where the name was closely identified in early mediaeval times with the feudal society which would become prominent throughout European history. The name would later emerge as a noble family in Bavaria and in the Rhine region with great influence, having many distinguished branches, and become noted for its involvement in social, economic and political affairs.

Early History of the Foust family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Foust research. Another 136 words (10 lines of text) covering the years 1480, 1540 and 1700 are included under the topic Early Foust History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Foust Spelling Variations

One can encounter great variation in the spelling of surnames: in early times, spelling in general, and thus the spelling of names was not yet standardized; and later, spellings would change with branching and movement of families. Variations of the name Foust include Faust, Fauste, Fausst, Fausste, Fauss, Fausse and others.

Early Notables of the Foust family

Another 37 words (3 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Foust Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Foust Ranking

In the United States, the name Foust is the 2,553^rd most popular surname with an estimated 12,435 people with that name. 1

Foust migration to the United States +

Hundreds of thousands of Europeans, including many Rhinelanders, made the voyage to North America between the 17th and 20th centuries. It was an escape from religious persecution and poverty and also an opportunity for people to start over and own their own land. Most landed at Ellis Island, off New York before moving on to the states of Pennsylvania, Ohio, Texas, Illinois, and California. Some also landed in Canada and settled in Ontario, while others headed west to the prairie provinces. A study of passenger and immigration lists has shown a number of people bearing the name of Foust, or one of its variants, reaching North America shores very early:

Foust Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

Ann Catrina Foust, aged 24, who landed in Pennsylvania in 1733 2
Ann Eliz Foust, aged 5, who arrived in Pennsylvania in 1733 2
Chon Peter Foust, aged 40, who landed in Pennsylvania in 1733 2
Cohan C Peter Foust, aged 9, who arrived in Pennsylvania in 1733 2
Cohannes Foust, aged 11, who landed in Pennsylvania in 1733 2
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Contemporary Notables of the name Foust (post 1700) +

Tanner Foust (b. 1973), American professional racing driver, stunt driver, and television host
Matt Foust (b. 1984), American Major League Baseball pitcher
Lawrence "Larry" Foust (1928-1984), American eight-time All-Star NBA basketball player
Graham Foust (b. 1970), American poet, associate professor at Saint Mary's College of California
Mary Louise Foust (b. 1909), American politician, Delegate to Democratic National Convention from Kentucky, 1956 ; Candidate in Democratic primary for Governor of Kentucky, 1975; Republican Candidate for U.S. Senator from Kentucky, 1980 3
Levi J. Foust, American Republican politician, Postmaster at Johnstown, Pennsylvania, 1904-13 3
L. T. Foust, American Democratic Party politician, Alternate Delegate to Democratic National Convention from Tennessee, 1916 3
John N. Foust, American Democratic Party politician, Delegate to Democratic National Convention from Washington, 1924 3
J. W. Foust, American Republican politician, Delegate to Republican National Convention from Pennsylvania, 1912 3
H. S. Foust, American Democratic Party politician, Alternate Delegate to Democratic National Convention from Ohio, 1948 3
... (Another 1 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Historic Events for the Foust family +

Fraterville mine

Mr. Mack C. Foust (d. 1902), American coal miner at Fraterville mine in Tennessee, on the 19th May 1902 when an explosion collapsed the mine; he died 4

Citations +

"What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
Filby, P. William, Meyer, Mary K., Passenger and immigration lists index : a guide to published arrival records of about 500,000 passengers who came to the United States and Canada in the seventeenth, eighteenth, and nineteenth centuries. 1982-1985 Cumulated Supplements in Four Volumes Detroit, Mich. : Gale Research Co., 1985, Print (ISBN 0-8103-1795-8)
The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, November 4) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html
News paper article Fraterville Mine Disaster retrieved on 6th August 2021. (Retrieved from http://www.tn.gov/tsla/exhibits/disasters/fraterville.htm).