Fayette
A feminine name of French origin meaning "little girl".
Name Census estimates that about 346 living Americans carry the first name Fayette. It appears on both sides of the gender split, with 57.1% of registrations being female. The average person named Fayette today is around 70 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Fayette births was 1923 (38 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Fayette. 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
- • Fayette started out as a boys' name but over the decades crossed over and is now given to girls far more often.
- • Fayette sits in rare territory as a truly gender-neutral name, given to boys and girls in near-equal numbers.
- • The typical person named Fayette is about 70 years old today, placing it firmly among the names of earlier generations. Most living Fayettes were born before 1966.
People living today
346
~ 1 in 990,619 Americans
Peak year
1923
38 babies that year
Average age
70
years old
1962 SSA rank
#4,251
Tracked since 1880
Gender
Gender distribution for Fayette
Fayette is one of the more evenly split names in the SSA data. Of the 1,022 total registrations, 438 (42.9%) were male and 584 (57.1%) were female.
Fayette as a male name
- Ranked #4,251 in 1962
- 5 male births in 1962
- Peak: 1923 (24 births)
Fayette as a female name
- Ranked #16,099 in 2022
- 5 female births in 2022
- Peak: 1955 (28 births)
Popularity
Fayette: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Fayette from the 1880s through to the 2020s, spanning 12 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1920s, with 193 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 1920s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Fayette 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 Fayette during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Fayettes live
Origin
Meaning and history of Fayette
The name Fayette is derived from the Old French word "fai" or "faye," which means "fairy" or "elf." Its origins can be traced back to the medieval period, when tales of mythical creatures and enchanted beings were popular in French folklore and literature.
The name Fayette gained prominence during the 16th and 17th centuries, particularly in France, where it was often associated with nobility and aristocracy. It is believed that some French families adopted the name to symbolize their connection to the mystical realm or as a nod to their ancestral lands.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Fayette can be found in the 13th-century French epic poem "Le Roman de la Rose," where a character named Fayette is mentioned. Additionally, the name appears in various medieval French literature and plays, indicating its widespread usage during that era.
In the realm of historical figures, one notable individual bearing the name Fayette was Marie Madeleine Pioche de la Vergne, Comtesse de La Fayette (1634-1693), a renowned French novelist and memoirist. Her most famous work, "La Princesse de Clèves," is considered a seminal work of French literature.
Another prominent figure was Gilbert du Motier, Marquis de Lafayette (1757-1834), a French aristocrat and military officer who played a significant role in the American Revolutionary War. He fought alongside George Washington and became a key ally to the American cause, earning him the moniker "The Hero of the Two Worlds."
In the world of arts and literature, Fayette Browne Ewing (1828-1907) was an American writer and poet known for her works on domestic life and social issues. Her book "Memorial of Fayette Browne" was published in 1871 and received critical acclaim.
Fayette Clyde Stanford (1904-1988) was an American artist and educator who made significant contributions to the art scene in Los Angeles. His works, which often depicted urban landscapes and cityscapes, were widely exhibited and are held in various museum collections.
Lastly, Fayette Nathaniel Freeman (1920-2010) was an American attorney and civil rights activist who played a pivotal role in the desegregation of public schools in the United States. He served as the lead counsel in the landmark Supreme Court case Brown v. Board of Education, which overturned the "separate but equal" doctrine.
People
Fayette + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Fayette 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
Fayette: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Fayette?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 346 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Fayette 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 990,619 US residents.
Is Fayette a common name?
We classify Fayette as "Very Rare". It ranks above 80.7% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 1,022 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Fayette most popular?
The single biggest year for Fayette was 1923, when 38 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Fayette is about 70 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Fayette a female name?
Yes, 57.1% of people registered as Fayette 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.
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.