2000
#4,177
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 7,865
First available Census row
Per 100,000 2.92
Rare Last name
Fain
Derived from Middle English fein, fain, or fayn, meaning "glad, rejoiced, or willing."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 8,598 Americans carry the last name Fain. That puts it at #4,583 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 2.51 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 39,864 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Fain 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 Fain with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
8.6K
1 in 39,864
Census rank
#4,583
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
2.5
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
7.5K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 7,498 bearers of the surname Fain in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 2.51 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 4583rd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Fain, the largest self-reported group is White at 77.9%. The next largest groups are Black (12.7%) and Two or More Races (4.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Fain
The surname Fain is of English origin, derived from the Old French word "fain," meaning "glad" or "willing." It is believed to have originated as a nickname for someone with a cheerful or obliging disposition.
The earliest recorded instances of the name Fain date back to the 13th century in various regions of England, such as Yorkshire and Gloucestershire. In the Hundred Rolls of Gloucestershire from 1273, there is a reference to a Walter le Fayn.
During the medieval period, the name appeared in various spellings, including Fayn, Fayne, and Feyn, reflecting the regional variations in pronunciation and writing at the time. Some of these variations can be found in the Pipe Rolls of Yorkshire from the late 13th century.
In the 16th century, the surname Fain was associated with the village of Fyne, located in Westmorland (now part of Cumbria), which may have influenced the spelling and pronunciation of the name in that area.
Notable individuals with the surname Fain throughout history include:
1. John Fain (1615-1681), an English clergyman and writer known for his work "Weights and Measures" published in 1677.
2. Samuel Fain (1776-1856), an American farmer and politician who served in the Virginia House of Delegates.
3. Jane Fain (1807-1888), an American philanthropist and benefactor of various educational institutions in Tennessee.
4. Samson Fain (1834-1901), a Russian-born American businessman and philanthropist who founded the Fain Family Foundation in New York.
5. Walter Fain (1891-1973), an American baseball player who played for the Cleveland Indians in the early 20th century.
While the Fain surname is not as common as some others, it has a long and interesting history, with recorded instances dating back to the medieval period in England and connections to various places and notable individuals over the centuries.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Fain
Among Census respondents with the surname Fain, the largest self-reported group is White at 77.9%. The next largest groups are Black (12.7%) and Two or More Races (4.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Fain 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 Fain surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White77.9% · 5,839
- Black or African American12.7% · 949
- Two or more races4.5% · 341
- Hispanic or Latino3.6% · 272
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.7% · 52
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 45
Timeline
Historical Census data for Fain
Fain 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
#4,379
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 8,122
+257 bearers (+3.3%)
Per 100,000 2.75
Rank movement Down 202 places
2020
#4,583
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 7,498
-624 bearers (-7.7%)
Per 100,000 2.51
Rank movement Down 204 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #4,177 | 7,865 | 2.92 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #4,379 | 8,122 | 2.75 | +257 bearers (+3.3%) | Down 202 places |
| 2020 | #4,583 | 7,498 | 2.51 | -624 bearers (-7.7%) | Down 204 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 Fain 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 | #4,379 | #4,583 | -4.7% |
| Count | 8,122 | 7,498 | -7.7% |
| Per 100K | 2.75 | 2.51 | -8.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Fain bearers went from 8,122 to 7,498 (-7.7% change). The surname moved down 204 positions in the national ranking, going from #4,379 to #4,583.
FAQ
Fain surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Fain?
Name Census estimates that about 8,598 living Americans carry the surname Fain. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 39,864 residents.
How common is Fain?
Fain ranks #4,583 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 2.51 per 100,000 residents, which is about 3 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 7,498 people with the surname Fain. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (8,598), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 2.51 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 2.51 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 3 of them to have the surname Fain.
Has Fain become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Fain went from 8,122 recorded bearers to 7,498. That is a decrease of 624 (-7.7%). In the national ranking it fell from #4,379 to #4,583.
What does the Census say about the background of Fain?
Among Census respondents with the surname Fain, the largest self-reported group is White at 77.9%. The next largest groups are Black (12.7%) and Two or More Races (4.5%). 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 Fain in the 2020 Census, accounting for 77.9% (5,839 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Fain appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (77.9%), Black (12.7%), Two or More Races (4.5%). 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 Fain (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 Fain mean?
Derived from Middle English fein, fain, or fayn, meaning "glad, rejoiced, or willing." 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 Fain (2.51 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 Americans have the surname Fain?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.