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

Fail, 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 Fail surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Fail in America

Fail is the 30863rd most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Fail surname appeared 754 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 Fail.

We can also compare 2010 data for Fail 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 Fail

The surname FAIL originated in the northern regions of medieval Germany, particularly in the areas of Bavaria and Saxony, during the 12th and 13th centuries. It is derived from the old Germanic word "failen," which meant "to strive" or "to labor." This word eventually evolved into the modern German word "feilen," which means "to file" or "to polish."

One of the earliest recorded references to the surname FAIL can be found in the Codex Diplomaticus Saxoniae, a collection of historical documents from Saxony, where a certain Henricus Faile is mentioned in a land transaction dated 1237. This suggests that the name was already established in the region by the mid-13th century.

In the 14th century, the name appears in various spellings, such as Feyle, Feylen, and Faylen, in records from various parts of Germany, including the Duchy of Bavaria and the Margraviate of Brandenburg. One notable individual from this period was Johann Feylen, a merchant from Nuremberg who is mentioned in the city's trade records from the late 1300s.

During the 15th century, the surname FAIL began to spread beyond Germany, with records showing individuals bearing the name in neighboring regions such as Austria and Switzerland. One prominent figure from this time was Hans Fail, a master craftsman and metalworker from Augsburg, who was renowned for his intricate and ornate armor designs.

As the name continued to evolve and spread throughout Europe, it also took on various localized spellings and variations. In the Netherlands, for instance, the name appeared as Feil or Feijl, while in France it was often rendered as Failly or Faille.

Notable individuals with the surname FAIL from more recent history include:

1. Johann Nepomuk Fail (1784-1849), a German composer and organist from Bavaria.
2. Maria Fail (1824-1904), an Austrian painter and artist known for her portraits and landscapes.
3. Friedrich Fail (1874-1956), a German architect and urban planner who designed several prominent buildings in Berlin.
4. Erna Fail (1898-1987), a German actress and film star during the early 20th century.
5. Günter Fail (1926-2011), a German businessman and industrialist who founded the Fail Group, a major manufacturing company.

While the surname FAIL has its roots in medieval Germany and the Germanic language, it has since spread across Europe and beyond, with variations and adaptations in spelling and pronunciation reflecting the diverse cultures and regions where it has taken hold.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Fail

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

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 Fail 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 Fail 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 Fail was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

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

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