English (West Midlands): unexplained; perhaps from Middle
English fon(ne) ‘stupid person’, ‘fool’ (origin unknown) or
Middle English foun ‘fawn’, ‘young deer’ (from Old French
feon, foun, faon).
Possibly an
Americanized spelling of German Fanz, a nickname for a roguish
or mischievous person, from Middle High German vanz ‘joker’,
‘rogue’.
Dictionary of American Family Names, Oxford University Press, ISBN 0-19-508137-4
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