Fairley
Derived from the Old English words "fæger" and "leah," signifying a meadow or clearing of exceptional beauty.
Name Census estimates that about 58 living Americans carry the first name Fairley. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Fairley today is around 80 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Fairley births was 1944 (16 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Fairley. Below you will find a gender breakdown showing how the name splits between male and female registrations, a year-by-year popularity chart stretching back to 1880, decade-level totals, the top US states for this name, its meaning and etymology, and a set of frequently asked questions with data-backed answers.
Key insights
- • The typical person named Fairley is about 80 years old today, placing it firmly among the names of earlier generations. Most living Fairleys were born before 1956.
- • Fewer than 100 living Americans are believed to carry the name Fairley. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
58
~ 1 in 5,909,558 Americans
Peak year
1944
16 babies that year
Average age
80
years old
1965 SSA rank
#4,085
Tracked since 1926
Census
Fairley in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 155 people with the first name Fairley, which placed it at #44,540 in the published first-name tables. This is a snapshot of people who already had the name at the time of the Census.
The SSA sections elsewhere on this page answer a different question: how often parents gave the name to babies over time. The "people living today" figure on this page is different again: it is a current estimate built from SSA birth records and age-based survival rates, so the two numbers are not expected to match exactly.
2020 Census rank
#44,540
National first-name rank
People counted
155
155 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
0.1
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
White
71.6% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Fairley
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Fairley is White at 71.6%. The next largest groups are Black (21.9%) and Two or More Races (3.9%). These figures describe the people who had the name in 2020, not any inherent property of the name itself.
The bar chart below shows how people with the first name Fairley described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given name, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown so the breakdown is easy to read across every published category. Because the 2020 Census first-name file also includes raw headcounts for each group, Name Census can show those alongside the percentages in the legend and hover tooltip.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A first name does not determine a person's race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the name Fairley at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White71.6% · 111
- Black or African American21.9% · 34
- Two or more races3.9% · 6
- Hispanic or Latino2.6% · 4
Popularity
Fairley: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Fairley from the 1920s through to the 1960s, spanning 4 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1940s, with 96 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 1940s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Fairley by decade
The table below breaks the full SSA timeline into ten-year windows. Each row shows how many male and female babies were given the name Fairley during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Fairleys live
The SSA's state-level files cover 4 states and territories. North Carolina, Kentucky, Virginia recorded the most babies named Fairley, while West Virginia, Virginia, Kentucky recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 8 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Fairley
The name Fairley is of English origin and dates back to the Middle Ages. It is derived from the Old English word "faeger," meaning "beautiful" or "fair." The name was likely given to children who were considered particularly attractive or had a fair complexion.
The earliest recorded use of the name Fairley can be traced back to the 13th century. It was initially spelled "Fayrelee" or "Fairlye" and was primarily used in the southern regions of England, particularly in the counties of Sussex and Kent.
One of the earliest recorded individuals with the name Fairley was Sir Fairley de Brecknock, a knight who fought in the Crusades during the late 12th century. Another notable figure was Fairley Fitzwilliam, a courtier and diplomat who served under King Edward III in the 14th century.
During the Renaissance period, the name Fairley gained popularity among the English gentry and nobility. One notable bearer of the name was Fairley Vere, a poet and courtier who lived during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I in the 16th century. Her works were widely celebrated and influenced the literary culture of the time.
In the 17th century, Fairley Cromwell, a distant relative of Oliver Cromwell, was a prominent figure in the English Civil War. He fought alongside the Parliamentarian forces and was known for his bravery and loyalty to the cause.
The 18th century saw the rise of Fairley Burney, a novelist and playwright who is considered one of the pioneers of the realistic novel. Her works, such as "Evelina" and "Camilla," were highly acclaimed and influenced the development of the English novel.
In the 19th century, Fairley Nightingale, the famous nurse and social reformer, was born in 1820. Her pioneering work in improving healthcare practices and establishing the foundations of modern nursing earned her widespread recognition and admiration.
While the name Fairley has maintained a presence throughout history, it has never been among the most popular names. However, its enduring use over centuries reflects its historical significance and the value placed on beauty and fairness in English culture.
People
Fairley + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Fairley as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with F
Other first names starting with F with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Fairley: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Fairley?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 58 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Fairley going back to 1880 and adjusting each cohort for expected survival using CDC actuarial life tables. The result is an age-weighted living-bearer count, not a raw birth total. That works out to about 1 in 5,909,558 US residents.
Is Fairley a common name?
We classify Fairley as "Very Rare". It ranks above 56.6% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 122 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Fairley most popular?
The single biggest year for Fairley was 1944, when 16 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Fairley is about 80 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Fairley in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 155 people with the name Fairley, or 0.05 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #44,540 in the national Census ranking for first names.
Why is the Census count different from the living estimate?
Because they measure different things. The Census figure is a count of people who had the name Fairley in 2020. The living estimate aims to answer a current question instead: how many people with the name are alive today, based on SSA birth records and age-based survival rates. Since one number is a 2020 snapshot and the other is a present-day estimate, they are not expected to be identical.
What does the Census say about the gender split for Fairley?
The 2020 Census sex table shows Fairley on both sides of the split. Of the 163 people counted with this name, 127 were male (77.9%) and 36 were female (22.1%). The Census view is a snapshot of people living with the name in 2020, while the SSA section above tracks births across time.
What does the Census say about the background of people named Fairley?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Fairley is White at 71.6%. The next largest groups are Black (21.9%) and Two or More Races (3.9%). These figures describe the people who had the name in 2020, not any inherent property of the name itself. The percentages in the chart above come from self-reported race and Hispanic-origin responses in the 2020 Census.
Which group reports the name Fairley most often in the Census?
White is the largest reported group for people named Fairley in the 2020 Census, accounting for 71.6% (111 people in the published table).
Why can the Census sex total and race total differ slightly?
The Census Bureau published separate 2020 tables for sex and for race/Hispanic origin, and the released figures can differ slightly because of privacy protection in the public files. That is why this page treats the gender section and the race/origin section as two related snapshots instead of forcing them into one identical total.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only includes names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files have no Census demographic snapshot. When that happens, the SSA trend, gender history, and state sections still appear, but the 2020 Census demographic sections are omitted.
What does the SSA popularity chart show?
The chart tracks births, not the number of people alive with the name today. Each point shows how many babies were given the name Fairley in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Fairley a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Fairley in the SSA data are male. You can see the full per-sex comparison in the gender distribution section above, which includes the latest year rank, birth count, and peak year for each sex.
Is Fairley still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Fairley in 2024, and the page above shows its latest-year rank where available. A name can be well past its peak and still remain in steady use, especially if it built up a large population over earlier decades.
Why can a name have a lot of living bearers even if it is not trendy now?
Because living-bearer counts and current baby-name popularity measure different things. A name like Fairley can build up a very large population over many decades, even if fewer parents are choosing it now than they did at its peak.
Where does this data come from?
First-name figures come from the Social Security Administration's national baby name files, which cover every name on a birth certificate from 1880 to 2024. Living-bearer estimates layer in CDC actuarial life tables broken out by sex to account for mortality. The population baseline (342,754,338) is the Census Bureau's latest national estimate. You can read the full calculation on our methodology page.
How many people are named Fairley?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.