Foxworth
An English surname built from place-name elements, likely meaning “fox enclosure” or “fox homestead.”
The #9,378 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 89,001 Americans shares it.
Etymology
Foxworth is most likely a locational surname formed from Old English elements. The first part is fox, the animal; the second is probably worth, an old place-name word meaning an enclosure, homestead, or farmstead. Taken together, the name would originally have referred to a place associated with foxes or a fox-inhabited enclosure.
History
The name appears to have arisen in England as a surname taken from a place-name or a place-name-like formation. The 19th-century source excerpt also treats Foxworth as part of a broader group of surnames built from the element worth. In modern usage it is uncommon and is especially found in English-speaking countries, including the United States.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
The ending -worth is common in English place-names and often points to an old enclosed settlement or farmstead.
From the historical record
“name of parishes cos. Kent and Dorset. Hence doubtless the names Wart, Wort, Warts, Worts, and the compound names Foxworth, Larkworthy, &c. WORTHMAN, WORTMAN. This name may mean the keeper of a farm or manor. See WORTH. WORTHY. See WORTH.”
— Ludus Patronymicus; or, the etymology of curious surnames