2000
#91,404
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 187
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.07
Very Rare Last name
Fague
A surname possibly derived from a nickname for someone considered sly or deceitful.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 234 Americans carry the last name Fague. That puts it at #95,802 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.07 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 1,464,762 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Fague 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
234
1 in 1,464,762
Census rank
#95,802
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
204
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 204 bearers of the surname Fague in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.07 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 95802nd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Fague, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.4%) and Two or More Races (2.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Fague
The surname FAGUE has its origins in medieval France, dating back to the 12th century. It is believed to have derived from the Old French word "faguet," meaning a bundle of sticks or twigs. This term was likely used as a descriptive nickname for someone who worked as a woodcutter or lived near a wooded area.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the records of the Abbey of Saint-Germain-des-Prés in Paris, where a certain Jehan Fague is mentioned as a tenant in the year 1237. This suggests that the name was already well-established in the region at that time.
During the 13th century, the FAGUE name appeared in various documents across northern France, particularly in the regions of Normandy and Picardy. It was often spelled in different ways, such as Faguet, Faghet, or Faghue, reflecting the variations in pronunciation and spelling conventions of the time.
In the 14th century, a notable bearer of the FAGUE name was Guillaume Fague, a merchant from Rouen who traded in textiles and spices. Records indicate that he traveled extensively throughout Europe and maintained business ties with merchants in Italy and the Low Countries.
The FAGUE surname also found its way into England during the Norman Conquest, as many French settlers accompanied William the Conqueror in 1066. One of the earliest recorded instances of the name in England is found in the Domesday Book of 1086, where a certain Radulfus Fague is listed as a landowner in the county of Sussex.
Throughout the Middle Ages and Renaissance period, the FAGUE name continued to be well-represented among the French nobility and gentry. Notable figures included Étienne Fague, a renowned jurist and legal scholar who served as a judge in the Parlement of Paris during the 16th century, and Marie-Anne Fague, a wealthy heiress and patron of the arts in the 18th century.
In the 17th century, a branch of the FAGUE family established themselves in the French colony of Saint-Domingue (now Haiti), where they became prominent plantation owners and traders. One of the most famous members of this branch was Pierre-Louis Fague, a wealthy planter and military officer who played a significant role in the French Revolution.
As the centuries passed, the FAGUE name continued to spread across Europe and beyond, with bearers of the name making their mark in various fields, including politics, literature, and the arts. However, the origins of this surname can be traced back to the humble woodcutters and forest-dwellers of medieval France, whose descriptive nickname eventually evolved into a distinctive family name.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Fague
Among Census respondents with the surname Fague, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.4%) and Two or More Races (2.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Fague 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 Fague surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White91.2% · 186
- Hispanic or Latino5.4% · 11
- Two or more races2.5% · 5
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.0% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Fague
Fague 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
#91,981
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 200
+13 bearers (+7.0%)
Per 100,000 0.07
Rank movement Down 577 places
2020
#95,802
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 204
+4 bearers (+2.0%)
Per 100,000 0.07
Rank movement Down 3,821 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #91,404 | 187 | 0.07 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #91,981 | 200 | 0.07 | +13 bearers (+7.0%) | Down 577 places |
| 2020 | #95,802 | 204 | 0.07 | +4 bearers (+2.0%) | Down 3,821 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 Fague 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 | #91,981 | #95,802 | -4.2% |
| Count | 200 | 204 | 2.0% |
| Per 100K | 0.07 | 0.07 | -2.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Fague bearers went from 200 to 204 (+2.0% change). The surname moved down 3,821 positions in the national ranking, going from #91,981 to #95,802.
FAQ
Fague surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Fague?
Name Census estimates that about 234 living Americans carry the surname Fague. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 1,464,762 residents.
How common is Fague?
Fague ranks #95,802 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.07 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 204 people with the surname Fague. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (234), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.07 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.07 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 Fague.
Has Fague become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Fague went from 200 recorded bearers to 204. That is an increase of 4 (+2.0%). In the national ranking it fell from #91,981 to #95,802.
What does the Census say about the background of Fague?
Among Census respondents with the surname Fague, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.4%) and Two or More Races (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 Fague in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.2% (186 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Fague appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (91.2%), Hispanic (5.4%), Two or More Races (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 Fague (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 Fague mean?
A surname possibly derived from a nickname for someone considered sly or deceitful. 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 Fague (0.07 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 Fague?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.