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

Faile, 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 Faile surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Faile in America

Faile is the 20201st most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Faile surname appeared 1,319 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 Faile.

We can also compare 2010 data for Faile 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 Faile

The surname Faile has its origins in Scotland, where it first appeared in the 13th century. It is derived from the Gaelic word "fàil," meaning "ring" or "hoop," and was likely initially used as a descriptive name for someone who made or sold rings or hoops.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Ragman Rolls of 1296, a record of Scottish landowners who swore allegiance to King Edward I of England. The entry "Johannes Faile de Kincardin" suggests that the name was already well-established in the region of Kincardineshire by that time.

In the 16th century, the name appears in the records of the Burgh of Stirling, where a certain John Faile was listed as a merchant burgess in 1543. This indicates that the family had gained some prominence and status in the local community.

Moving into the 17th century, the Faile name is mentioned in the Register of the Privy Seal of Scotland, which contains records of official documents issued under the authority of the Scottish monarchy. In 1634, a charter was granted to "Johanni Faile de Balquhollie," granting him lands in Aberdeenshire.

One notable bearer of the Faile surname was Sir James Faile (1657-1734), a Scottish merchant and politician who served as Lord Provost of Edinburgh from 1722 to 1724. He played a significant role in the city's governance and was known for his efforts in promoting trade and commerce.

Another prominent figure was Reverend Robert Faile (1768-1847), a Scottish minister and author who served as the Moderator of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland in 1835. He was known for his literary works, including a commentary on the Book of Revelation.

In the 19th century, the Faile name appears in connection with several place names in Scotland, such as Faileton in Ayrshire and Failford in Renfrewshire. These place names likely derived from the surname, indicating the presence of Faile families in those areas.

Throughout its history, the Faile surname has also been subject to various spellings, including Faill, Fail, Fale, and Fayle, reflecting the variations in pronunciation and regional dialects across Scotland.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Faile

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

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

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

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