2000
#3,260
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 10,061
First available Census row
Per 100,000 3.73
Uncommon Last name
Faber
A Latin occupational surname referring to a craftsman, particularly a smith or woodworker.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 11,267 Americans carry the last name Faber. That puts it at #3,545 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 3.29 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 30,421 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Faber surname. You will find the Census Bureau frequency data, a multi-census history view, an ancestry and ethnicity breakdown based on self-reported demographics, the name's meaning and origin where available, and answers to the most common questions people ask about this surname.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Faber with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
11K
1 in 30,421
Census rank
#3,545
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
3.3
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
9.8K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 9,825 bearers of the surname Faber in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 3.29 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 3545th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Faber, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.6%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.7%) and Hispanic (2.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Faber
The surname Faber originates from the German and Dutch languages, dating back to the Middle Ages. It is an occupational name derived from the Latin word "faber," meaning a craftsman, smith, or maker.
Faber is believed to have first emerged in the regions of present-day Germany and the Netherlands around the 12th century. In medieval times, Faber was commonly used to refer to individuals involved in metalworking, carpentry, or other crafts.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Faber can be found in the Codex Traditionum Corbeiensium, a medieval cartulary from the Benedictine abbey of Corvey in present-day North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. This document, dating back to the 9th century, mentions several individuals with the surname Faber.
In the 13th century, the name Faber appeared in the Liber Censuum, a papal record of tax rolls and rents. This indicates that individuals bearing this surname were present in various parts of Europe at that time.
Among notable historical figures with the surname Faber are Jacobus Faber (c. 1475-1541), a Dutch humanist and theologian, and Johannes Faber (1478-1541), a German theologian and a leading figure in the Catholic Reformation.
Another prominent individual was Basilius Faber (1520-1576), a German theologian and Protestant reformer who played a significant role in the Reformation in Switzerland.
In the realm of art, Petrus Faber (c. 1540-1612) was a renowned Dutch painter and engraver active in the late 16th and early 17th centuries, known for his religious and allegorical works.
Johann Faber (1552-1633), a German musician and composer, made significant contributions to the development of Protestant church music during the Baroque period.
The surname Faber has undergone various spelling variations over time, including Fabre, Fabri, and Fabry, reflecting regional and linguistic differences.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Faber
Among Census respondents with the surname Faber, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.6%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.7%) and Hispanic (2.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Faber bearers 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 surname, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown for every Census year so the breakdown stays comparable over time. When the source file also includes raw headcounts, Name Census shows those alongside the percentages in the legend.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A person's surname does not determine their race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the Faber surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White90.6% · 8,904
- Two or more races2.7% · 261
- Hispanic or Latino2.5% · 247
- Black or African American2.3% · 230
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.0% · 100
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 83
Timeline
Historical Census data for Faber
Faber appears in 3 published Census surname files: 2000, 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2010
#3,555
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 10,039
-22 bearers (-0.2%)
Per 100,000 3.40
Rank movement Down 295 places
2020
#3,545
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 9,825
-214 bearers (-2.1%)
Per 100,000 3.29
Rank movement Up 10 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #3,260 | 10,061 | 3.73 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #3,555 | 10,039 | 3.40 | -22 bearers (-0.2%) | Down 295 places |
| 2020 | #3,545 | 9,825 | 3.29 | -214 bearers (-2.1%) | Up 10 places |
For 2020, the Census Bureau published race and Hispanic-origin columns as counts rather than percentages. Name Census converts those counts back into shares so the ancestry section stays comparable with the older surname files.
Year on year
2010 vs 2020 Census
How has the Faber surname changed between Census years? The chart shows bearer count side by side, and the table compares rank, count, and frequency.
Census year comparison
20102020
| Metric | 2010 | 2020 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #3,555 | #3,545 | 0.3% |
| Count | 10,039 | 9,825 | -2.1% |
| Per 100K | 3.40 | 3.29 | -3.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Faber bearers went from 10,039 to 9,825 (-2.1% change). The surname moved up 10 positions in the national ranking, going from #3,555 to #3,545.
FAQ
Faber surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Faber?
Name Census estimates that about 11,267 living Americans carry the surname Faber. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 30,421 residents.
How common is Faber?
Faber ranks #3,545 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 3.29 per 100,000 residents, which is about 3 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 9,825 people with the surname Faber. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (11,267), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 3.29 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 3.29 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 3 of them to have the surname Faber.
Has Faber become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Faber went from 10,039 recorded bearers to 9,825. That is a decrease of 214 (-2.1%). In the national ranking it rose from #3,555 to #3,545.
What does the Census say about the background of Faber?
Among Census respondents with the surname Faber, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.6%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.7%) and Hispanic (2.5%). These figures come from the 2020 Census Bureau surname tables, based on how respondents described their own race and ethnicity.
Which group reports this surname most often?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Faber in the 2020 Census, accounting for 90.6% (8,904 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Faber appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (90.6%), Two or More Races (2.7%), Hispanic (2.5%). For 2020, the source file also published raw headcounts for each group, which is why this page can show both percentages and counts in the ancestry section.
Is this page using the latest Census data?
Yes. This page is using the latest surname file currently loaded on Name Census, which is 2020. The historical section above also keeps any older Census surname entries we have for Faber (2000, 2010, 2020).
Does the Census include every surname?
No. The Census Bureau only publishes surnames that appeared at least 100 times in a given decennial Census. That means very rare surnames are excluded entirely, and a surname can appear in one Census release but disappear from a later one if it falls below the reporting threshold.
Why don't the ancestry percentages always add up to exactly 100%?
There are two main reasons: rounding and suppression. The Census Bureau rounds published values, and it may suppress very small cells to protect privacy. For 2020, the Bureau also published raw group counts rather than direct percentages, so Name Census converts those counts back into shares for comparability across census years.
What does Faber mean?
A Latin occupational surname referring to a craftsman, particularly a smith or woodworker. The fuller origin note on this page goes into more detail.
Where does the surname data come from?
All surname statistics on Name Census are drawn from the US Census Bureau's decennial surname frequency tables. These files list every surname that appeared 100 or more times in the 2020 Census, along with a count, a per-100,000 rate, and a self-reported demographic breakdown. You can read the full explanation on our methodology page.
How does Name Census estimate living bearers?
For surnames, Name Census does not age cohorts the way it does for first names. Instead, it takes the Census Bureau's published frequency for Faber (3.29 per 100,000) and applies that rate to the current U.S. resident population to estimate how many living Americans have the surname today.
How many people share the surname Faber?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.