FOULDS
Foulds is a surname of English origin, deriving from the Old English word fold, meaning an enclosure or fenced‑in land. The name originally referred to a person who lived near or worked in such an enclosure, or who was otherwise associated with a field surrounded by a fence.
As a topographical surname, it signifies residence close to a fold—typically a pen for sheep or cattle—while as an occupational surname it denotes a worker at these animal pens. The earliest documented use appears in the mid‑thirteenth century, with witnesses such as William de Foldes and Agna de Foles listed in an assize court at Chester in 1245. The name subsequently spread across the northern counties of England.
Throughout the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries the spelling varied. Early records include Adam le Fold in Derbyshire (1327), John atte Fold in Somerset (1327), Adam de Falde in Staffordshire (1332), and James Foulds in Cheshire (1584). Modern iterations include Fold, Foldes, Folds, Fould, Fouldes, Foulds, Fowlds and Faulds; plural forms are genitive, indicating ‘of the folds.’
In the 1881 English Census the surname was most frequent in Yorkshire, Lancashire, Oxfordshire, Glamorganshire and Middlesex, reflecting its concentration in the North and Midlands. The pattern of emigration in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries brought it to the United States, Canada, Australia, New Zealand and South Africa, where it remains common today.
Recent demographic data show more than four thousand individuals bearing the name worldwide. In the United States the surname ranks highest in Pennsylvania, Ohio, Wisconsin and California, while in the United Kingdom it continues to be prevalent in Yorkshire, Lancashire, Durham and Northumberland. The name also appears in Scotland and Ireland, particularly in Gaspe in Quebec, Canada.
Variants such as Fowlds, Foulis and Fowler trace back to the same Anglo‑Saxon root. Some interpretations link Foulds to the Old French word Foullis, meaning ‘dart or spear,’ but the primary etymology remains rooted in the Old English concept of an animal enclosure or a hillside fold. The surname’s enduring presence across several continents attests to its robust historical and cultural significance.
Typical given names associated with the Foulds surname
Male
- Andrew
- David
- James
- John
- Mark
- Michael
- Paul
- Peter
- Richard
- Robert
Female
- Elizabeth
- Emma
- Gillian
- Jacqueline
- Jennifer
- Julie
- Margaret
- Mary
- Michelle
- Patricia
- Sarah
- Susan
- Wendy
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 Foulds in...
Braille
⠋⠕⠥⠇⠙⠎
Morse
..-.---..-.-..-.....
Semaphore
There are approximately 2,504 people named Foulds in the UK. That makes it roughly the 3,505th most common surname in Britain. Around 38 in a million people in Britain are named Foulds.
Origin: English
Region of origin: British Isles
Country of origin: England
Religion of origin: Christian
Language of origin: English
Famous people named Foulds
- Gerry Scott Foulds - Television production designer (1944 to 2007)
- Neal Foulds - Snooker player
- John Foulds - Composer (1880 to 1939)
- Matty Foulds - Football player
- June Foulds - Retired British track and field athlete
- Bert Foulds - Football player (1919 to 1993)
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.