2010
#160,975
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 100
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.03
Very Rare Last name
Faichney
A variant surname derived from an ancient Scots Gaelic name of unknown meaning.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 127 Americans carry the last name Faichney. That puts it at #148,665 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,698,853 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Faichney 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 Faichney with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
127
1 in 2,698,853
Census rank
#148,665
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
111
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 111 bearers of the surname Faichney in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 148665th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Faichney, the largest self-reported group is White at 73.0%. The next largest groups are Black (11.7%) and Two or More Races (9.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Faichney
The surname Faichney has its origins in the Scottish Lowlands, with the earliest recorded instances dating back to the 16th century. It is believed to be derived from the Scots Gaelic word "faichne," which translates to "marsh" or "bog," suggesting that the name may have been initially associated with someone who lived near or worked on a marshy area.
One of the earliest known bearers of the name was John Faichney, who was recorded in the Burgh Records of Irvine, Ayrshire, in 1587. This suggests that the name had established itself in the southwestern region of Scotland by the late 16th century.
In the 17th century, the Faichney family appears to have spread to other parts of Scotland, with records showing individuals with the surname in various parishes and burghs. For instance, a Thomas Faichney was mentioned in the Parish Records of Anstruther Easter, Fife, in 1628, indicating the name's presence in the eastern coastal regions.
While the Faichney surname does not appear in notable historical records such as the Domesday Book, it has been associated with a few notable individuals throughout the centuries. One such person was Robert Faichney, a Scottish clergyman who lived in the late 17th and early 18th centuries. He served as the minister of Avendale Parish in Lanarkshire from 1696 until his death in 1730.
Another notable bearer of the Faichney name was James Faichney, a Scottish merchant and landowner who lived in the 18th century. He was a prominent figure in the town of Kilmarnock, Ayrshire, and owned several properties in the area.
In the 19th century, the Faichney surname continued to be found across various regions of Scotland. One individual of note was William Faichney, a Scottish poet and author who was born in Greenock, Renfrewshire, in 1831. He published several works of poetry and prose during his lifetime, including "The Greenock Lays" and "Poems and Songs."
Another notable Faichney was John Faichney, a Scottish architect who lived in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. He was responsible for designing several notable buildings in Glasgow, including the former Govan Burgh Chambers, which was completed in 1901.
While the Faichney surname has its roots in Scotland, it has since spread to other parts of the world due to immigration and migration patterns. However, its origins and earliest recorded instances can be traced back to the Scottish Lowlands, where it likely emerged as a descriptive name associated with those who lived or worked in marshy areas.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Faichney
Among Census respondents with the surname Faichney, the largest self-reported group is White at 73.0%. The next largest groups are Black (11.7%) and Two or More Races (9.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Faichney 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 Faichney surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White73.0% · 81
- Black or African American11.7% · 13
- Two or more races9.0% · 10
- Hispanic or Latino3.6% · 4
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.8% · 2
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Faichney
Faichney appears in 2 published Census surname files: 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2020
#148,665
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 111
+11 bearers (+11.0%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 12,310 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #160,975 | 100 | 0.03 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #148,665 | 111 | 0.04 | +11 bearers (+11.0%) | Up 12,310 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 Faichney 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 | #160,975 | #148,665 | 7.6% |
| Count | 100 | 111 | 11.0% |
| Per 100K | 0.03 | 0.04 | 23.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Faichney bearers went from 100 to 111 (+11.0% change). The surname moved up 12,310 positions in the national ranking, going from #160,975 to #148,665.
FAQ
Faichney surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Faichney?
Name Census estimates that about 127 living Americans carry the surname Faichney. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,698,853 residents.
How common is Faichney?
Faichney ranks #148,665 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 111 people with the surname Faichney. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (127), 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 Faichney.
Has Faichney become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Faichney went from 100 recorded bearers to 111. That is an increase of 11 (+11.0%). In the national ranking it rose from #160,975 to #148,665.
What does the Census say about the background of Faichney?
Among Census respondents with the surname Faichney, the largest self-reported group is White at 73.0%. The next largest groups are Black (11.7%) and Two or More Races (9.0%). 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 Faichney in the 2020 Census, accounting for 73.0% (81 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Faichney appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (73.0%), Black (11.7%), Two or More Races (9.0%). 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 Faichney (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 Faichney mean?
A variant surname derived from an ancient Scots Gaelic 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 Faichney (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 common is the surname Faichney?
Our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers how many Americans have the surname Faichney at a glance, with the living-bearer count up front.