Find out how popular the last name Fahr is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Fahr.

Fahr, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Fahr surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Fahr in America

Fahr is the 37180th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Fahr surname appeared 600 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 people would have the surname Fahr.

We can also compare 2010 data for Fahr to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name Fahr

The surname FAHR originated in Germany during the Middle Ages. It is believed to have derived from the German word "fahr," which means "journey" or "to travel." This suggests that the name may have been given to someone who frequently traveled or was involved in transportation-related professions.

The earliest recorded instances of the FAHR surname can be traced back to the 13th century in various regions of Germany, such as Bavaria and Saxony. Some of the earliest known bearers of this name include Johannes Fahr, a merchant from Nuremberg in the late 1200s, and Heinrich Fahr, a farmer from the village of Fahr near Cologne in the early 1300s.

In the 15th century, the FAHR surname appeared in several historical records, including the Nürnberger Bürgerbuch (Nuremberg Citizen Book) and the Leipziger Kirchenbücher (Leipzig Church Records). One notable individual from this period was Hans Fahr, a renowned clockmaker from Augsburg, who lived from 1450 to 1525.

During the 16th and 17th centuries, the FAHR surname spread across various parts of Europe as people migrated and settled in new regions. One prominent figure from this era was Johann Friedrich Fahr (1580-1634), a German mathematician and astronomer who made significant contributions to the field of celestial mechanics.

Over the centuries, variations of the FAHR surname emerged, including Fahre, Faehr, and Fahrer. Some of these variants may have derived from different root words or been influenced by local dialects. One notable individual with a variant spelling was Christoph Fahrer (1610-1688), a German botanist and physician who authored several influential works on medicinal plants.

Other notable figures bearing the FAHR surname include:

1. Carl Wilhelm Fahr (1824-1904), a German painter and art teacher known for his landscape and genre paintings.
2. Max Fahr (1875-1952), a German politician and member of the Reichstag during the Weimar Republic.
3. Theodor Fahr (1903-1988), a German engineer and inventor who developed the first successful rotary engine for motorcycles.
4. Johannes Fahr (1939-2016), a German entrepreneur and founder of the Fahr Group, a leading manufacturer of agricultural machinery.
5. Claudia Fahr (born 1964), a German artist and sculptor known for her large-scale public installations and sculptures.

While the FAHR surname has its roots in Germany, it has since spread to various parts of the world through immigration and migration, with bearers of this name found in countries such as the United States, Canada, Australia, and others.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Fahr

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Fahr.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Fahr was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Fahr has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Fahr was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Fahr, please contact us.

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