2000
#12,078
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,371
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.88
Rare Last name
Fahy
Derived from the Irish surname Ó Fathaigh, meaning "descendant of Fathaigh" (a personal name of unknown meaning).
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,670 Americans carry the last name Fahy. That puts it at #12,668 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.78 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 128,372 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Fahy 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 Fahy with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
2.7K
1 in 128,372
Census rank
#12,668
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.8
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.3K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,328 bearers of the surname Fahy in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.78 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 12668th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Fahy, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.2%) and Two or More Races (2.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Fahy
The surname Fahy has its origins in Ireland, where it emerged during the Middle Ages. It is believed to be derived from the Gaelic word "fáthach," which means "prophetic" or "visionary." This suggests that the name may have originally been associated with those who possessed clairvoyant abilities or were revered for their wisdom.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Fahy can be found in the Annals of the Four Masters, a chronicle of medieval Irish history compiled in the 17th century. The annals mention a prominent figure named Fáthach Ó Maolconaire, who lived in the 11th century and was renowned for his knowledge of the ancient Irish laws and traditions.
In the 14th century, the name Fahy appeared in the Plea Rolls of County Kilkenny, which were legal records of the time. These rolls documented the activities of a family named Fahy who held lands in the region.
The surname Fahy has also been associated with various place names in Ireland, such as Faheetra and Fahyfeerina, which may have derived their names from individuals or families bearing the surname.
Notable individuals with the surname Fahy throughout history include:
1. Sir Francis Fahy (1767-1833), an Irish lawyer and judge who served as Lord Chief Baron of the Irish Exchequer.
2. John Fahy (1892-1966), an Irish politician and member of Dáil Éireann, the lower house of the Irish parliament.
3. Jane Fahy (1892-1983), an American actress known for her roles in silent films and early talkies.
4. Peter Fahy (born 1958), a former Chief Constable of Greater Manchester Police in England.
5. Michael Fahy (1967-2016), a New York City firefighter who tragically lost his life while battling a house fire in the Bronx.
Throughout the centuries, the Fahy surname has been subject to various spellings and variations, including Fay, Fahey, Faye, and Feighey, reflecting the linguistic and cultural influences on the name over time.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Fahy
Among Census respondents with the surname Fahy, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.2%) and Two or More Races (2.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Fahy 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 Fahy surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White93.0% · 2,164
- Hispanic or Latino3.2% · 74
- Two or more races2.7% · 64
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 17
- Black or African American0.4% · 9
Timeline
Historical Census data for Fahy
Fahy 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
#12,904
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,382
+11 bearers (+0.5%)
Per 100,000 0.81
Rank movement Down 826 places
2020
#12,668
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,328
-54 bearers (-2.3%)
Per 100,000 0.78
Rank movement Up 236 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #12,078 | 2,371 | 0.88 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #12,904 | 2,382 | 0.81 | +11 bearers (+0.5%) | Down 826 places |
| 2020 | #12,668 | 2,328 | 0.78 | -54 bearers (-2.3%) | Up 236 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 Fahy 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 | #12,904 | #12,668 | 1.8% |
| Count | 2,382 | 2,328 | -2.3% |
| Per 100K | 0.81 | 0.78 | -3.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Fahy bearers went from 2,382 to 2,328 (-2.3% change). The surname moved up 236 positions in the national ranking, going from #12,904 to #12,668.
FAQ
Fahy surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Fahy?
Name Census estimates that about 2,670 living Americans carry the surname Fahy. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 128,372 residents.
How common is Fahy?
Fahy ranks #12,668 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.78 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 2,328 people with the surname Fahy. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,670), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.78 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.78 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 Fahy.
Has Fahy become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Fahy went from 2,382 recorded bearers to 2,328. That is a decrease of 54 (-2.3%). In the national ranking it rose from #12,904 to #12,668.
What does the Census say about the background of Fahy?
Among Census respondents with the surname Fahy, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.2%) and Two or More Races (2.7%). 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 Fahy in the 2020 Census, accounting for 93.0% (2,164 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Fahy appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (93.0%), Hispanic (3.2%), Two or More Races (2.7%). 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 Fahy (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 Fahy mean?
Derived from the Irish surname Ó Fathaigh, meaning "descendant of Fathaigh" (a personal name of unknown meaning). 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 Fahy (0.78 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 Fahy?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.