2000
#12,590
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,257
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.84
Rare Last name
Fabre
A French occupational surname referring to a craftsman who worked with iron, such as a blacksmith or locksmith.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,774 Americans carry the last name Fabre. That puts it at #12,283 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.81 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 123,560 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Fabre 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 Fabre with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
2.8K
1 in 123,560
Census rank
#12,283
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.8
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.4K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,419 bearers of the surname Fabre in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.81 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 12283rd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Fabre, the largest self-reported group is White at 42.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (27.7%) and Black (23.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Fabre
The surname FABRE has its origins in France, specifically in the region of Occitanie. It is believed to have emerged during the Middle Ages, around the 12th or 13th century. The name is derived from the Latin word "faber," which means "craftsman" or "artisan." This suggests that the earliest bearers of this surname were likely involved in skilled trades or crafts.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name FABRE can be found in the Livre des Hôtes et des Vassaux du Roi, a medieval French census document from the 13th century. The name appears in various spellings, such as "Fabre," "Faber," and "Favre," reflecting the regional variations in pronunciation and spelling at the time.
In the 14th century, the FABRE surname gained prominence in the southern regions of France, particularly in the areas around Montpellier and Avignon. Records from this period mention several notable individuals bearing this surname, including Jean FABRE, a renowned physician and scholar who lived in the late 14th century.
During the Renaissance period, the FABRE family produced several notable figures, such as Pierre FABRE (1506-1573), a French Protestant theologian and author, and Antoine FABRE (1557-1624), a renowned French architect and engineer who contributed to the construction of the Pont Neuf in Paris.
In the 17th century, the FABRE surname continued to gain prominence, with individuals like Jean-Henri FABRE (1623-1670), a French botanist and entomologist, and Jean-Baptiste FABRE (1668-1756), a French architect and military engineer who designed several fortifications in the region of Provence.
One of the most famous individuals with the surname FABRE is Jean-Henri Fabre (1823-1915), a French entomologist, naturalist, and author renowned for his extensive studies on insects and his literary works, such as "Souvenirs Entomologiques" (Entomological Memoirs).
The FABRE surname has also been associated with various place names in France, such as Fabregues, a commune in the Hérault department, and Fabrèges, a commune in the Hautes-Pyrénées department. These place names are thought to have derived from the FABRE surname, reflecting the influence and presence of this family in those regions.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Fabre
Among Census respondents with the surname Fabre, the largest self-reported group is White at 42.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (27.7%) and Black (23.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Fabre 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 Fabre surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White42.5% · 1,029
- Hispanic or Latino27.7% · 669
- Black or African American23.6% · 570
- Two or more races3.2% · 78
- Asian and Pacific Islander2.3% · 56
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.7% · 17
Timeline
Historical Census data for Fabre
Fabre 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
#11,612
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,702
+445 bearers (+19.7%)
Per 100,000 0.92
Rank movement Up 978 places
2020
#12,283
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,419
-283 bearers (-10.5%)
Per 100,000 0.81
Rank movement Down 671 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #12,590 | 2,257 | 0.84 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #11,612 | 2,702 | 0.92 | +445 bearers (+19.7%) | Up 978 places |
| 2020 | #12,283 | 2,419 | 0.81 | -283 bearers (-10.5%) | Down 671 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 Fabre 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 | #11,612 | #12,283 | -5.8% |
| Count | 2,702 | 2,419 | -10.5% |
| Per 100K | 0.92 | 0.81 | -12.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Fabre bearers went from 2,702 to 2,419 (-10.5% change). The surname moved down 671 positions in the national ranking, going from #11,612 to #12,283.
FAQ
Fabre surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Fabre?
Name Census estimates that about 2,774 living Americans carry the surname Fabre. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 123,560 residents.
How common is Fabre?
Fabre ranks #12,283 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.81 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 2,419 people with the surname Fabre. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,774), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.81 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.81 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Fabre.
Has Fabre become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Fabre went from 2,702 recorded bearers to 2,419. That is a decrease of 283 (-10.5%). In the national ranking it fell from #11,612 to #12,283.
What does the Census say about the background of Fabre?
Among Census respondents with the surname Fabre, the largest self-reported group is White at 42.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (27.7%) and Black (23.6%). 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 Fabre in the 2020 Census, accounting for 42.5% (1,029 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Fabre appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (42.5%), Hispanic (27.7%), Black (23.6%). 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 Fabre (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 Fabre mean?
A French occupational surname referring to a craftsman who worked with iron, such as a blacksmith or locksmith. 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 Fabre (0.81 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 have the surname Fabre?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.