Fun Facts About the Name Fox
- More than 3 thousand babies named Fox: U.S. records list 3,986 babies given the name Fox from 1880 through 2025. Even 97 girls received the name Fox - about 1 girl for every 40 boys.
What Does the Name Fox Mean?
Fox is an English name meaning "fox," the animal. It goes back to Old English fox, from a Germanic word for the animal that also appears in Old High German fuhs, Dutch vos, and German Fuchs; the reconstructed Proto-Germanic form is fuhsaz.
As a personal name, Fox is chiefly a transferred use of the English surname Fox. That surname began as a nickname. In medieval England, a byname such as Fox could refer to a person's red hair, to cunning, or to some other association with the animal. The literal meaning stays "fox"; the familiar ideas of slyness and cleverness are customary associations rather than a second etymology.
In Ireland, Fox is also an anglicized form of the Gaelic surname Ó Sionnaigh, "descendant of Sionnach," from sionnach, "fox." That origin is independent of the English word, though it shares the same animal image.
Fox Name History & Origins
The noun fox is old in English and long predates its use as a personal name. It was the ordinary word for the animal, not a name, in Old English.
The surname Fox comes from the medieval English nickname tradition. Hereditary surnames became common in England between the twelfth and fourteenth centuries, and animal nicknames were one source. A family called Fox might have been named for red hair or for a reputation for cleverness; surviving records often do not show which motive applied in a given case. The surname also appears in Ireland, where Fox served as an anglicization of Ó Sionnaigh.
In modern English-speaking use, Fox is also a given name. It is a transferred use of the surname or a direct use of the animal word, and it keeps the spelling and pronunciation of the noun.
How Popular is the Name Fox?
Fox recorded its highest annual U.S. birth count in 2016. Its best rank was #744 in 2016.
U.S. name popularity from 1880-2025, based on SSA data. Rank shows how the name compares with other names - lower numbers mean greater popularity. Births shows how many babies received the name each year.
| Year | Rank | Births | % |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | #13,997 | 6 | 0.0004% |
| 2023 | #10,584 | 9 | 0.0006% |
| 2022 | #10,640 | 9 | 0.0005% |
| 2021 | #8,648 | 12 | 0.0007% |
| 2020 | #12,580 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| 2019 | #10,763 | 9 | 0.0005% |
| 2018 | #10,058 | 10 | 0.0006% |
| 2017 | #10,207 | 10 | 0.0006% |
| 2016 | #9,067 | 12 | 0.0007% |
| 2015 | #15,124 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 2014 | #13,536 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| Year | Rank | Births | % |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #1,411 | 129 | 0.0076% |
| 2024 | #1,111 | 192 | 0.0112% |
| 2023 | #1,122 | 188 | 0.0110% |
| 2022 | #1,007 | 221 | 0.0127% |
| 2021 | #933 | 242 | 0.0138% |
| 2020 | #919 | 243 | 0.0141% |
| 2019 | #906 | 243 | 0.0135% |
| 2018 | #794 | 285 | 0.0157% |
| 2017 | #767 | 306 | 0.0165% |
| 2016 | #744 | 327 | 0.0172% |
| 2015 | #1,035 | 195 | 0.0102% |
| 2014 | #1,155 | 164 | 0.0085% |
| 2013 | #1,188 | 151 | 0.0080% |
| 2012 | #1,620 | 96 | 0.0051% |
| 2011 | #1,705 | 87 | 0.0046% |
| 2010 | #1,701 | 90 | 0.0047% |
| 2009 | #1,711 | 91 | 0.0046% |
| 2008 | #1,815 | 81 | 0.0040% |
| 2007 | #2,099 | 65 | 0.0031% |
| 2006 | #2,803 | 41 | 0.0020% |
| 2005 | #2,191 | 55 | 0.0028% |
| 2004 | #2,198 | 53 | 0.0027% |
| 2003 | #2,521 | 41 | 0.0021% |
| 2002 | #3,211 | 28 | 0.0014% |
| 2001 | #2,289 | 44 | 0.0023% |
| 2000 | #2,494 | 38 | 0.0019% |
| 1999 | #2,076 | 46 | 0.0024% |
| 1998 | #2,170 | 42 | 0.0022% |
| 1997 | #2,072 | 43 | 0.0023% |
| 1996 | #2,699 | 28 | 0.0015% |
| 1995 | #3,471 | 19 | 0.0010% |
| 1933 | #3,838 | 5 | 0.0005% |
| 1930 | #4,206 | 5 | 0.0005% |
| 1888 | #1,087 | 5 | 0.0041% |
Name popularity over more than a century, based on Social Security Administration data. Gaps in the chart indicate years when the name does not appear in the published records.
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How the Name Fox Shapes Your Personality and Life?
You are kind, home-loving, hospitable and friendly. Since you take responsibility well, you are a good organizer of social affairs. Compassion for others is an outstanding trait. You are a great lover and a great flirt – an artist, musician, actor, teacher, nurse. Your character can be contradictory. You are practical, yet idealistic and intuitive; capable of selfless devotion to someone you love, yet look to receive payback. You are frank, methodical and believe in law, system and order.
You desire to inspire and lead, to control other's affairs. You are giving, courageous and bold, action oriented,energetic and strong willed. You want to make a difference in the world, and this attitude often attracts you to cultural interests, politics, social issues, and the cultivation of your creative talents.
✦ Fox's Deeper Meaning & Tips for Parents Discover Fox's symbolic numbers and practical tips for choosing a name that complements your child's birth date.