Surname Fosgate - Meaning and Origin
all surnames with 'F'
Fosgate: What does the surname Fosgate mean?
The last name Fosgate is of English origin. The name has its roots in the Old English word for 'ford gate'. A ford is a shallow place in a river or stream which can be crossed by wading or on horseback and a gate is an entrance or exit so the name literally means 'entrance to a crossing'.
The earliest recorded reference to the name Fosgate comes from 1296 in the 'Curia Regis Rolls of Somerset,' which is a record of who appeared at the king's court. The document makes reference to a Henry atte Fosketor, which translates as 'Henry at ford gate'.
Throughout history, the Fosgate family has been closely linked to Essex and Derbyshire. In the early 1700s, a number of Fosgates were in Colne, Essex and a John Fosgates is recorded in the 1663 Hearth Tax return. In the same century, the name is seen in Derbyshire.
Today, the Fosgate surname is a fairly common one. In the UK there are around 340 people with the name and in the United States, the surname is also seen, with over 3,000 people having it as their last name. It is likely that the Fosgate name will continue to spread as the families associated with it move around the world.
Order DNA origin analysisFosgate: Where does the name Fosgate come from?
The surname Fosgate can be found in many parts of North America and Europe today. In the United States, it is most common in the states of Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Colorado, Michigan, Pennsylvania, Ohio, and New York. The earliest instance of the surname in the United States was recorded in Massachusetts in the late 1600s.
In Canada, the surname is found mainly in the provinces of Quebec and Ontario. The earliest records of the surname in Canada date back to the mid-1800s.
In the United Kingdom, the surname is most common in the counties of Essex, Worcestershire, and Hampshire. The earliest instance of the surname in the United Kingdom was recorded in Essex in the early 1700s.
Lastly, the surname is common in some parts of Europe, particularly in Germany, the Czech Republic, and Slovakia. In Germany, the surname can be found in the states of Bavaria, Hesse, and Baden-Wurttemberg. In Slovakia and the Czech Republic, the surname is mainly found in the cities of Prague and Bratislava.
Overall, the surname of Fosgate can be found in many locations worldwide. It may have originated in England, but it is today a global surname that can be found on every continent, indicating the worldwide mobility of people with this surname.
Variations of the surname Fosgate
The surname Fosgate is an English surname of Norman-French origins deriving from the place names Foss, Fosse, and Fossegate, all of which mean a ditch, a trench, or a stream near a trench. The variants, spellings, and surnames of the same origin for Fosgate include Fossgate, Fosegate, Fostgate, Fosgatt, Fosgat, Fosgate, Fostey, Foskett, Fosket, Foskitt, Foskey, Fost, Fossey, Fusgate, Vosgat, and Vosgate.
Fossgate is probably the most common variant of the Fosgate surname. It can be found in many UK records and can be dated back to the thirteenth century. We find an early record of Walter de Fossegates recorded in 1296 in the Oxfordshire Hundred Rolls. That same spelling also appears in manuscripts from Lincolnshire, Yorkshire, Leicestershire, Somerset, and Gloucestershire.
The variant Fosegate appears mainly in records from Suffolk and in some East Anglia records in the thirteenth century. The Fostgate spelling appears in Suffolk in the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries. It is also found in records from Gloucestershire, Herefordshire, and Wiltshire.
The spelling Fosgatt appears mainly in Northamptonshire and Hertfordshire. Fosgat, Fosket, Foskitt, and Foskey appear mainly in records of the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries. Fossey is a variant mainly found in Wiltshire records and Fusgate and Vosgat appear mainly in Suffolk records.
Famous people with the name Fosgate
- Damon Fosgate: Professional dancer, director and choreographer best known for his work on "So You Think You Can Dance" and "Dancing With the Stars".
- Tami Fosgate: A former American football player who was drafted into the NFL in 2002. He played for the New England Patriots for seven years.
- Rick Fosgate: A legendary American bass player and founding member of the influential rock band, Cheap Trick.
- Eugene Fosgate: A successful entrepreneur and inventor who created the concept of rockin' the purple, which has become a popular music-themed restaurant franchise.
- Kelly Fosgate: A television producer and former Nickelodeon star, who has worked on multiple shows such as "Unfabulous" and "Big Time Rush".
- David Fosgate: An international celebrity chef and restaurateur, owner of the popular "Fosgate's" restaurant chain.
- Robert Fosgate: A Grammy Award-winning singer, producer and songwriter best known for producing tracks for artists like Lil Jon, Nelly, and Usher.
- Gary Fosgate: A professional wrestler who competed on multiple promotions, most notably in Ring of Honor, and is a former ROH World Champion.
- Taylor Fosgate: An American competitive skater who has been part of the U.S. Figure Skating Team since 2009 and won the U.S. National Championships in 2011.
- Hal Fosgate: A professional bull rider and five-time National Finals Rodeo qualifier who was inducted into the Pro Rodeo Hall of Fame in 2018.