Show ContentsFogg History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

The ancestors of the Fogg surname lived among the ancient Anglo-Saxon culture. The name comes from when they lived in the area that was referred to as the fogge, a Middle English word which means the grass that was left to grow once the hay had been cut. 1 The surname Fogg also has occupational origins when it refers a farmer who had grazing cattle on the grass during the winter months.

Early Origins of the Fogg family

The surname Fogg was first found in Kent or perhaps Lancashire. Lower states that "it is an ancient Kentish family," 2 while Bardsley claims the name is a "well-known Lancashire surname. " 3

Early records of the family are scarce, but we did find record of Thomas Fogg, in Norfolk in 1509 4 and Robert Fogg, of Radcliffe, yeoman in Cheshire in 1592. 3

Phileas Fogg, the fictional protagonist Jules Verne's novel Around the World in Eighty Days was inspired by the American writer and adventurer William Perry Fogg (1826-1909.)

Early History of the Fogg family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Fogg research. Another 67 words (5 lines of text) covering the years 1360, 1376, 1378, 1380, 1381, 1383, 1384, 1388, 1407, 1417, 1490, 1623, 1662, 1676, 1691 and 1718 are included under the topic Early Fogg History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Fogg Spelling Variations

Before English spelling was standardized a few hundred years ago, spelling variations of names were a common occurrence. Elements of Latin, French and other languages became incorporated into English through the Middle Ages, and name spellings changed even among the literate. The variations of the surname Fogg include Fogg, Fogge, Foge, Fog and others.

Early Notables of the Fogg family

Notables of the family at this time include

  • Sir Thomas Fogg (Fogge) (died 1407), English politician and soldier, a knight (1360), elected Member of Parliament for Kent in 1376, 1378, 1380, 1381, 1383, 1384, and 1388
  • Laurence Fogg or Fogge (1623-1718), was Dean of Chester in 1691. He was the son of Robert Fogg (who was an active worker for the parliament, rector of Bangor-is-y-Coed, Flintshire, ejected 1662, died...
  • Sir John Fogge (c.1417-1490) was an English courtier, soldier and supporter of the Woodville family under Edward IV

Fogg Ranking

In the United States, the name Fogg is the 4,694th most popular surname with an estimated 7,461 people with that name. 5


United States Fogg migration to the United States +

A great wave of immigration to the New World was the result of the enormous political and religious disarray that struck England at that time. Families left for the New World in extremely large numbers. The long journey was the end of many immigrants and many more arrived sick and starving. Still, those who made it were rewarded with an opportunity far greater than they had known at home in England. These emigrant families went on to make significant contributions to these emerging colonies in which they settled. Some of the first North American settlers carried this name or one of its variants:

Fogg Settlers in United States in the 17th Century
  • Ralph Fogg, who settled in Salem Massachusetts in 1630
  • John Fogg, who settled in Boston in 1630
  • Ralph Fogg, who landed in Salem, Massachusetts in 1634 6
  • Whitting Fogg, who settled in Virginia in 1653
  • Whittington Fogg, who arrived in Virginia in 1653 6
  • ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)
Fogg Settlers in United States in the 18th Century
  • Math Fogg, who arrived in Virginia in 1705 6
  • Daniel Fogg, who arrived in Massachusetts in 1770 6
  • William Fogg, who settled in Virginia in 1773
  • William Fogg, aged 23, who landed in Virginia in 1773 6
Fogg Settlers in United States in the 19th Century
  • C P Fogg, who landed in San Francisco, California in 1871 6

Canada Fogg migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Fogg Settlers in Canada in the 18th Century
  • Benjamin Fogg, who landed in Halifax, Nova Scotia in 1749

Australia Fogg migration to Australia +

Emigration to Australia followed the First Fleets of convicts, tradespeople and early settlers. Early immigrants include:

Fogg Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century
  • Miss Ann Fogg, British Convict who was convicted in Lancaster, Lancashire, England for 7 years, transported aboard the "Earl Cornwallis" in August 1800, arriving in New South Wales, Australia 7
  • Mr. Joseph Fogg, British Convict who was convicted in Lancaster, Lancashire, England for 7 years, transported aboard the "Dunvegan Castle" on 13th March 1830, arriving in New South Wales, Australia 8
  • Mr. William Fogg, English convict who was convicted in Lancaster, Lancashire, England for 7 years, transported aboard the "Camden" on 21st September 1832, arriving in New South Wales, Australia 9
  • Mr. Henry Fogg, Jr., English convict who was convicted in Derby, Derbyshire, England for life, transported aboard the "Atlas" on 27th April 1833, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land) 10
  • Miss Mary Fogg who was convicted in Stafford, Staffordshire, England for 7 years, transported aboard the "Edward" on 23rd April 1834, arriving in Tasmania, (Van Diemen's Land) 11
  • ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Contemporary Notables of the name Fogg (post 1700) +

  • William Perry Fogg (1826-1909), American adventurer and author, born in Exeter, New Hampshire, the inspiration of the character Phileas Fogg in the 1873 novel Around the World in 80 Days by Jules Verne
  • Ebenezer Knowlton Fogg (1837-1900), American shoe retailer and politician, 24th Mayor of Lynn, Massachusetts (1891-1892), Member of the Massachusetts House of Representatives (1896-1897)
  • Howard Lockhart Fogg (1917-1996), American railroad artist who produced over 1,200 paintings, illustrated about 100 books and was considered to be "America's finest railroad artist"
  • Joseph G. Fogg (d. 1946), American football player for the Wisconsin Badgers, former part-owner of the NFL Cleveland Rams
  • John Fogg (b. 1944), American politician, 56th Mayor of Pensacola, Florida (1994-2009)
  • Kyle Fogg (b. 1990), American professional basketball player
  • Carleton Thayer Fogg (1917-1942), American naval seaman killed in action while serving aboard the aircraft carrier Enterprise during the initial attack Kwajalein, 1 February 1942, eponym of the USS Fogg (DE/DER-57), a Buckley-class destroyer escort
  • Joshua Smith Fogg (b. 1976), American former Major League Baseball pitcher who played from 2001 to 2009
  • George Gilman Fogg (1813-1881), American politician, Senator and diplomat from New Hampshire (1866-1867)
  • Clarence J. Fogg, American politician, Mayor of Newburyport, Massachusetts, 1915-16 12
  • ... (Another 25 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)


  1. Harrison, Henry, Surnames of the United Kingdom: A Concise Etymological Dictionary Baltimore: Geneological Publishing Company, 2013. Print
  2. Lower, Mark Anthony, Patronymica Britannica, A Dictionary of Family Names of the United Kingdom. London: John Russel Smith, 1860. Print.
  3. Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)
  4. Rye, Walter, A History of Norfolk. London: Elliot Stock, 62, Paternoster Row, 1885. Print
  5. "What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
  6. 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)
  7. Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 13th August 2021). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/earl-cornwallis
  8. Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 12th August 2021). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/dunvegan-castle
  9. Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 2nd December 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/camden
  10. Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 14th July 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/atlas
  11. Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 25th January 2022). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/edward
  12. The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, November 3) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html


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