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Foston Family History

Foston Name Meaning

English: habitational name from any of various places such as Foston on the Wolds (East Yorkshire) Foston (Lincolnshire) Foston by Malton (North Yorkshire) Foston (Derbyshire) and Foston (Leicestershire) from the Old Norse personal name Fótr + Old English tūn ‘enclosure farmstead estate’.

Source: Dictionary of American Family Names 2nd edition, 2022


Similar surnames: Roston, Poston, Forton, Baston, Holton, Royston, Hopton, Alston

Search for a relative to learn more about your family history.

Hint: Try searching for a relative alive in 1940.

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Where is the Foston family from?

You can see how Foston families moved over time by selecting different census years. The Foston family name was found in the USA, the UK, Canada, and Scotland between 1840 and 1920. The most Foston families were found in United Kingdom in 1891. In 1840 there was 1 Foston family living in Kentucky. This was about 50% of all the recorded Foston's in USA. Kentucky and 1 other state had the highest population of Foston families in 1840.
Use census records and voter lists to see where families with the Foston surname lived. Within census records, you can often find information like name of household members, ages, birthplaces, residences, and occupations.

What did your Foston ancestors do for a living?

In 1940, Laborer and Maid were the top reported jobs for men and women in the USA named Foston. 36% of Foston men worked as a Laborer and 32% of Foston women worked as a Maid. Some less common occupations for Americans named Foston were Porter and Domestic. .

View Census Data for Foston | 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 1940

  • Laborer
    36%
  • Farmer
    24%
  • Farming
    6%
  • Porter
    6%

Top Female Occupations In 1940

  • Maid
    32%
  • Laundress
    32%
  • Laborer
    13%
  • Domestic
    13%
Black & white image of two construction labourers

What Foston family records will you find?

Census Records

There are 5,000 census records available for the last name Foston. Like a window into their day-to-day life, Foston census records can tell you where and how your ancestors worked, their level of education, veteran status, and more.

Search US census records for Foston

Passenger Lists

There are 391 immigration records available for the last name Foston. Passenger lists are your ticket to knowing when your ancestors arrived in the USA, and how they made the journey - from the ship name to ports of arrival and departure.

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Draft Cards

There are 378 military records available for the last name Foston. For the veterans among your Foston ancestors, military collections provide insights into where and when they served, and even physical descriptions.

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What is the average Foston lifespan?

Between 1956 and 2004, in the United States, Foston life expectancy was at its lowest point in 1965, and highest in 1988. The average life expectancy for Foston in 1956 was 46, and 86 in 2004.

View Social Security Death Index (SSDI) for Foston

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