Fawn
A name of English origin, referring to a young deer.
Name Census estimates that about 4,680 living Americans carry the first name Fawn. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Fawn today is around 48 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Fawn births was 1981 (206 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Fawn. 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.
For a British comparison, Name Census UK has a UK baby-name profile for Fawn with official rankings and popularity over time.
People living today
4.7K
~ 1 in 73,238 Americans
Peak year
1981
206 babies that year
Average age
48
years old
2024 SSA rank
#5,656
Tracked since 1900
Census
Fawn in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 4,624 people with the first name Fawn, which placed it at #4,153 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
#4,153
National first-name rank
People counted
4.6K
4,624 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
1.5
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
White
74.1% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Fawn
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Fawn is White at 74.1%. The next largest groups are Black (7.0%) and Two or More Races (6.9%). 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 Fawn 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 Fawn at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White74.1% · 3,426
- Black or African American7.0% · 322
- Two or more races6.9% · 317
- American Indian and Alaska Native5.0% · 231
- Hispanic or Latino3.8% · 176
- Asian and Pacific Islander3.3% · 152
Popularity
Fawn: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Fawn from the 1900s through to the 2020s, spanning 13 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1980s, with 1,433 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 1980s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Fawn 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 Fawn during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Fawns live
The SSA's state-level files cover 27 states and territories. California, Pennsylvania, New York recorded the most babies named Fawn, while Wyoming, New Mexico, Nebraska recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 93 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Fawn
The name Fawn is derived from the Old English word "fawnn," which means a young deer or baby deer. This name has its origins in the English language, and it first appeared in the late Middle Ages, around the 14th or 15th century. The name was likely inspired by the delicate and gentle nature of a baby deer, and it was initially used as a nickname or pet name for children.
One of the earliest recorded uses of the name Fawn can be found in the works of the English poet and playwright William Shakespeare. In his play "As You Like It," written in 1599, one of the characters is named Phoebe, which was a common nickname for Fawn during that time period. This suggests that the name was already in use by the late 16th century.
Throughout history, there have been several notable individuals who bore the name Fawn. One of the earliest recorded examples is Fawn Brodie (1915-1981), an American biographer and historian who wrote extensively on the life of Joseph Smith, the founder of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Fawn Brodie's works were controversial but highly regarded for their thorough research and objective analysis.
Another notable figure with the name Fawn was Fawn McKay Brodie (1901-1981), an American politician who served as the first woman lieutenant governor of Wyoming from 1967 to 1975. She was a pioneering figure in American politics and paved the way for more women to hold high-ranking political offices.
In the realm of literature, Fawn M. Brodie (1931-2016) was an American author and educator who wrote several novels and short stories. Her works often explored themes of family, relationships, and the complexities of human nature.
Fawn Fritzen (born 1970) is an American singer and songwriter who has released several albums and singles in the country and pop genres. She is known for her powerful vocals and emotional songwriting.
Fawn Weaver (born 1974) is an American author, entrepreneur, and historian. She is best known for her work in preserving and promoting the history and legacy of the Tennessee whiskey industry, particularly with her involvement in the revival of the Nearest Green Distillery.
While the name Fawn has its roots in the English language, it has gained popularity in various cultures and regions around the world. The name's association with nature and innocence has made it appealing to many parents, and it continues to be a unique and beautiful choice for baby names.
People
Fawn + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Fawn 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
Fawn: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Fawn?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 4,680 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Fawn 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 73,238 US residents.
Is Fawn a common name?
We classify Fawn as "Rare". It ranks above 96.4% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 5,615 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Fawn most popular?
The single biggest year for Fawn was 1981, when 206 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Fawn is about 48 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Fawn in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 4,624 people with the name Fawn, or 1.53 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #4,153 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 Fawn 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 Fawn?
In the 2020 Census sex table, Fawn appears almost entirely female. Of the 4,626 people counted with this name, 99.4% were female and only a very small share were male. 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 Fawn?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Fawn is White at 74.1%. The next largest groups are Black (7.0%) and Two or More Races (6.9%). 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 Fawn most often in the Census?
White is the largest reported group for people named Fawn in the 2020 Census, accounting for 74.1% (3,426 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 Fawn in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Fawn a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Fawn in the SSA data are female. 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 Fawn still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Fawn 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 Fawn 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 common is the name Fawn?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.