2000
#126,400
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 125
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.05
Very Rare Last name
Failes
An anglicized rendering of the Irish surname Ó Fáthaidh, meaning descendant of Fáthaidh, a personal name derived from the word "fáth" meaning cause or reason.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 120 Americans carry the last name Failes. That puts it at #152,989 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,856,286 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Failes 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 Failes with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
120
1 in 2,856,286
Census rank
#152,989
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
105
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 105 bearers of the surname Failes in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 152989th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Failes, the largest self-reported group is White at 84.8%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (7.6%) and Black (6.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Failes
The surname FAILES originated in England during the late 12th century. It is derived from the Old French word "faile," meaning a young doe or fawn. The name likely referred to someone who lived near an enclosure for keeping fawns or was particularly fond of deer.
One of the earliest recorded references to the FAILES surname can be found in the Pipe Rolls of Gloucestershire from 1191, which mentions a William Failes. The name also appears in the Hundred Rolls of Oxfordshire from 1273, listing a Richard Fayles as a landowner.
During the 13th century, the name was primarily concentrated in the counties of Oxfordshire, Gloucestershire, and Wiltshire. Variations in spelling included Fayles, Faylis, and Failis, reflecting the regional dialects of the time.
In the 14th century, the FAILES surname can be found in the Court Rolls of the Manor of Wakefield in Yorkshire, where a John Fayles is recorded in 1317. This suggests that the name had begun to spread beyond its origins in the southwest of England.
One notable bearer of the FAILES surname was Sir Robert Fayles (1420-1489), a wealthy merchant and alderman in the City of London. He served as Lord Mayor of London in 1472 and was a benefactor of the Mercers' Company.
Another historical figure with the FAILES name was William Failes (1556-1621), a clergyman and author from Warwickshire. He wrote several theological works and served as the rector of Stratford-upon-Avon, where he is believed to have known William Shakespeare.
In the 17th century, the FAILES surname can be found in the parish records of Staffordshire, where a Thomas Failes was baptized in 1643 in the village of Uttoxeter.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the FAILES surname in North America dates back to 1635, when a John Failes is listed as arriving in Virginia aboard the ship "Safety."
Other notable individuals with the FAILES surname include:
1. Edward Failes (1783-1857), a British naval officer who served during the Napoleonic Wars.
2. Margaret Failes (1848-1925), an Australian artist and painter known for her landscapes and portraits.
3. James Failes (1871-1942), a Scottish-born Canadian politician who served as a member of the Legislative Assembly of Manitoba.
4. Robert Failes (1900-1978), a British actor and playwright who appeared in several films and television shows during the mid-20th century.
5. Emily Failes (born 1985), an American author and illustrator of children's books, including the award-winning "The Rabbit's Coat."
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Failes
Among Census respondents with the surname Failes, the largest self-reported group is White at 84.8%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (7.6%) and Black (6.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Failes 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 Failes surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White84.8% · 89
- Two or more races7.6% · 8
- Black or African American6.7% · 7
- Hispanic or Latino1.0% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Failes
Failes 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
#146,201
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 113
-12 bearers (-9.6%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 19,801 places
2020
#152,989
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 105
-8 bearers (-7.1%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 6,788 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #126,400 | 125 | 0.05 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #146,201 | 113 | 0.04 | -12 bearers (-9.6%) | Down 19,801 places |
| 2020 | #152,989 | 105 | 0.04 | -8 bearers (-7.1%) | Down 6,788 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 Failes 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 | #146,201 | #152,989 | -4.6% |
| Count | 113 | 105 | -7.1% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -12.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Failes bearers went from 113 to 105 (-7.1% change). The surname moved down 6,788 positions in the national ranking, going from #146,201 to #152,989.
FAQ
Failes surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Failes?
Name Census estimates that about 120 living Americans carry the surname Failes. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,856,286 residents.
How common is Failes?
Failes ranks #152,989 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 105 people with the surname Failes. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (120), 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 Failes.
Has Failes become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Failes went from 113 recorded bearers to 105. That is a decrease of 8 (-7.1%). In the national ranking it fell from #146,201 to #152,989.
What does the Census say about the background of Failes?
Among Census respondents with the surname Failes, the largest self-reported group is White at 84.8%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (7.6%) and Black (6.7%). 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 Failes in the 2020 Census, accounting for 84.8% (89 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Failes appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (84.8%), Two or More Races (7.6%), Black (6.7%). 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 Failes (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 Failes mean?
An anglicized rendering of the Irish surname Ó Fáthaidh, meaning descendant of Fáthaidh, a personal name derived from the word "fáth" meaning cause or reason. 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 Failes (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 many people have the surname Failes?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.