2000
#141,788
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 108
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Faehr
An occupational surname derived from the German word "Fahrer" meaning driver or coachman.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 120 Americans carry the last name Faehr. That puts it at #152,989 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,856,286 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Faehr 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.
Bearers in the US
120
1 in 2,856,286
Census rank
#152,989
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
105
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 105 bearers of the surname Faehr in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 152989th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Faehr, the largest self-reported group is White at 95.2%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Faehr
The surname "Faehr" is believed to have originated from Germany, specifically in the regions of Saxony and Thuringia, around the 16th century. It is derived from the German word "Fährmann," which means "ferryman" or someone who operates a ferry across a body of water.
In the Middle Ages, many people adopted surnames based on their occupations or professions. The name "Faehr" likely emerged as a descriptive name for individuals who worked as ferrymen, transporting people and goods across rivers or lakes. This occupation was crucial for facilitating travel and trade in areas with limited bridges or other means of crossing waterways.
One of the earliest documented references to the name "Faehr" can be found in church records from the town of Erfurt, located in present-day Thuringia, Germany. These records date back to the late 16th century and mention individuals with the surname "Faehr" residing in the area.
In the 17th century, the name "Faehr" appeared in the records of the Principality of Saxe-Coburg, a historical state in central Germany. Several families bearing this surname were documented as living in villages and towns along the banks of the Saale River, further reinforcing the connection between the name and the occupation of ferrying.
Notable individuals with the surname "Faehr" throughout history include Johann Faehr (1592-1671), a prominent merchant and politician in the city of Leipzig, and Wilhelm Faehr (1777-1844), a German philologist and educator who made significant contributions to the study of ancient Greek literature.
Another prominent figure was Anna Faehr (1688-1752), a renowned midwife and herbalist from the town of Weimar. She published several books on midwifery and herbal remedies, which were widely read and influential in her time.
In the 19th century, the name "Faehr" spread beyond Germany as a result of emigration. Karl Faehr (1815-1892), a German-American businessman and philanthropist, established a successful trading company in New York City after emigrating from Germany in the 1840s.
Furthermore, the surname "Faehr" can be found in historical records from neighboring countries such as Austria and Switzerland, suggesting that individuals with this name may have migrated or settled in those regions as well.
While the surname "Faehr" is not as common today as it once was, it remains a part of the rich tapestry of German surnames, reflecting the historical importance of ferrying as a profession and the ways in which names evolved to reflect the occupations and trades of previous generations.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Faehr
Among Census respondents with the surname Faehr, the largest self-reported group is White at 95.2%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Faehr 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 Faehr surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White95.2% · 100
- Two or more races4.8% · 5
Timeline
Historical Census data for Faehr
Faehr 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
#153,769
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 106
-2 bearers (-1.9%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 11,981 places
2020
#152,989
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 105
-1 bearers (-0.9%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 780 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #141,788 | 108 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #153,769 | 106 | 0.04 | -2 bearers (-1.9%) | Down 11,981 places |
| 2020 | #152,989 | 105 | 0.04 | -1 bearers (-0.9%) | Up 780 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 Faehr 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 | #153,769 | #152,989 | 0.5% |
| Count | 106 | 105 | -0.9% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -12.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Faehr bearers went from 106 to 105 (-0.9% change). The surname moved up 780 positions in the national ranking, going from #153,769 to #152,989.
FAQ
Faehr surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Faehr?
Name Census estimates that about 120 living Americans carry the surname Faehr. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,856,286 residents.
How common is Faehr?
Faehr ranks #152,989 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 105 people with the surname Faehr. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (120), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.04 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Faehr.
Has Faehr become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Faehr went from 106 recorded bearers to 105. That is a decrease of 1 (-0.9%). In the national ranking it rose from #153,769 to #152,989.
What does the Census say about the background of Faehr?
Among Census respondents with the surname Faehr, the largest self-reported group is White at 95.2%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.8%). 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 Faehr in the 2020 Census, accounting for 95.2% (100 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Faehr appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (95.2%), Two or More Races (4.8%). 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 Faehr (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 Faehr mean?
An occupational surname derived from the German word "Fahrer" meaning driver or coachman. 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 Faehr (0.04 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 Faehr?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.