2000
#127,948
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 123
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.05
Very Rare Last name
Fahlen
A German surname derived from the word meaning "pale" or "fair-haired."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 135 Americans carry the last name Fahlen. That puts it at #143,511 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,538,921 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Fahlen 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
135
1 in 2,538,921
Census rank
#143,511
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
118
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 118 bearers of the surname Fahlen in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 143511th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Fahlen, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Fahlen
The surname Fahlen originated in Germany, with roots dating back to the 13th century. The name is derived from the German word "fahl," which means "pale" or "faded." It may have initially referred to someone with light-colored hair or a pale complexion.
In the early records, the name appeared with various spellings, such as Fahlen, Fahle, and Falen. One of the earliest documented instances is a reference to a Wilhelm Fahlen in the town of Braunschweig in 1287.
The Fahlen name can be traced back to several regions in Germany, including Saxony, Brandenburg, and Pomerania. In the 15th century, the town of Fahlenberg in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern was home to a notable Fahlen family.
During the Middle Ages, the name appeared in various legal documents and records. For instance, a Hans Fahlen was mentioned in a land deed from the town of Dessau in 1472.
One of the earliest recorded individuals with the Fahlen surname was Johann Fahlen, a Lutheran theologian and scholar born in Saxony in 1530. He authored several religious texts and served as a professor at the University of Jena.
In the 17th century, Christoph Fahlen (1610-1668) was a notable German composer and organist from Gera, Thuringia. His works included sacred choral pieces and organ compositions.
Another prominent figure was Georg Fahlen (1725-1801), a German painter and engraver from Berlin. He is known for his landscapes and portraits, some of which are held in the collections of major museums.
In the 19th century, August Fahlen (1821-1898) was a German architect who designed several notable buildings in Berlin, including the Märkisches Museum and the Friedrichshain Evangelical Church.
The surname Fahlen also spread beyond Germany. In the late 18th century, Johann Fahlen (1758-1828) emigrated from Germany to the United States and settled in Pennsylvania. He was one of the earliest recorded individuals with the Fahlen name in America.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Fahlen
Among Census respondents with the surname Fahlen, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Fahlen 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 Fahlen surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White94.1% · 111
- Hispanic or Latino5.9% · 7
Timeline
Historical Census data for Fahlen
Fahlen 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
#147,253
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 112
-11 bearers (-8.9%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 19,305 places
2020
#143,511
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 118
+6 bearers (+5.4%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 3,742 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #127,948 | 123 | 0.05 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #147,253 | 112 | 0.04 | -11 bearers (-8.9%) | Down 19,305 places |
| 2020 | #143,511 | 118 | 0.04 | +6 bearers (+5.4%) | Up 3,742 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 Fahlen 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 | #147,253 | #143,511 | 2.5% |
| Count | 112 | 118 | 5.4% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -1.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Fahlen bearers went from 112 to 118 (+5.4% change). The surname moved up 3,742 positions in the national ranking, going from #147,253 to #143,511.
FAQ
Fahlen surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Fahlen?
Name Census estimates that about 135 living Americans carry the surname Fahlen. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,538,921 residents.
How common is Fahlen?
Fahlen ranks #143,511 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 118 people with the surname Fahlen. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (135), 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 Fahlen.
Has Fahlen become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Fahlen went from 112 recorded bearers to 118. That is an increase of 6 (+5.4%). In the national ranking it rose from #147,253 to #143,511.
What does the Census say about the background of Fahlen?
Among Census respondents with the surname Fahlen, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.9%). 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 Fahlen in the 2020 Census, accounting for 94.1% (111 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Fahlen appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (94.1%), Hispanic (5.9%). 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 Fahlen (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 Fahlen mean?
A German surname derived from the word meaning "pale" or "fair-haired." 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 Fahlen (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 Fahlen?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.