FOOTE
Foote is a surname of English origin. The name is derived from the Middle English word fot, meaning foot. It first appears in written record as a nickname, describing either a person who was swift on their feet, or a messenger or runner employed by a noble or high‑ranking official.
Early documentary evidence of the surname is found in the Domesday Book (1086), where Goduin Fot is listed in Kent and Cheshire. In the Pipe Rolls of Yorkshire (1166) a Robert Fot is recorded, and a Seild Fot appears in the Curia Regis rolls of Hampshire (1212). These attestations show that the surname was established in the 12th century and earlier, and that it survived well into the later medieval period.
Variations of the name include Foot, Foat, Foit, Fote, Fott, Foott, Voot, Footh and, in early Scottish and Welsh records, Fute, Fut, Foat and Foulkes (where it may be a variant rather than a direct cognate). Such differences reflect dialectal pronunciation and the absence of standardised spelling before the 19th century.
The surname has been most closely associated with the West Country of England in the 19th and 20th centuries, but it is also found throughout the English Midlands and southern counties. In the United States the name is comparatively common in the Northeast and California, where British migration was significant. It also appears in Canada, New Zealand, Australia and other former British colonies.
Notable bearers of the surname include the American historian Shelby Foote and the screenwriter and playwright Horton Foote. The surname thus continues to be recognised in both scholarly and cultural circles.
Overall, Foote is an occupational or descriptive nickname in origin, with a clear etymological lineage from Old and Middle English. Its persistence in the historical record demonstrates the endurance of surname traditions in Britain and its former colonies.
Typical given names associated with the Foote surname
Male
- Andrew
- Christopher
- David
- James
- John
- Mark
- Michael
- Paul
- Robert
- Stephen
- William
Female
- Alison
- Barbara
- Caroline
- Elizabeth
- Helen
- Jacqueline
- Kathleen
- Margaret
- Mary
- Nicola
- Patricia
- Sarah
- Susan
Similar and related surnames
Related and similar names are generated algorithmically based on the spelling, and may not necessarily share an etymology.
How to communicate the surname Foote in...
Braille
⠋⠕⠕⠞⠑
Morse
..-.-------.
Semaphore
There are approximately 2,976 people named Foote in the UK. That makes it roughly the 3,011th most common surname in Britain. Around 46 in a million people in Britain are named Foote.
Surname type: Nickname
Origin: English
Region of origin: British Isles
Country of origin: England
Religion of origin: Christian
Language of origin: English
Famous people named Foote
- Georgia May Foote - Actress
- Alexander Foote - Spy (1905 to 1957)
- Samuel Foote - Dramatist (1720 to 1777)
- Chris Foote - Football player
- Brian Foote - Speedway rider
- George William Foote - Secularist and journal editor (1850 to 1915)
- Edward Foote - Royal Navy officer (1767 to 1833)
Names and descriptions courtesy of Wikipedia, and may contain errors. This is not intended to be an exhaustive list of every famous person with this name.