2000
#51,024
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 384
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.14
Very Rare Last name
Faine
A surname originating from the French term "faineant" meaning idle, lazy, or slothful.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 448 Americans carry the last name Faine. That puts it at #56,436 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.13 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 765,077 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Faine 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.
Bearers in the US
448
1 in 765,077
Census rank
#56,436
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
391
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 391 bearers of the surname Faine in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.13 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 56436th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Faine, the largest self-reported group is White at 53.5%. The next largest groups are Black (26.9%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (8.4%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Faine
The surname FAINE is believed to have originated in France, derived from the Old French word "faine," meaning "beech tree." It is thought to have first emerged as a toponymic surname, referring to someone who lived near or was associated with a beech tree or a place where beech trees were abundant.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name FAINE can be traced back to the 13th century in the region of Normandy, France. In medieval records, variations such as "de la Faine" and "de Faine" are found, indicating the name's connection to a specific location or landmark.
During the Middle Ages, surnames were often adopted as a means of distinguishing individuals from one another. The FAINE surname may have been initially given to someone living near a prominent beech tree or in a area known for its beech forests, and then passed down through generations.
In the 16th century, the FAINE surname appeared in various historical documents, including court records and parish registers. One notable example is Jean FAINE, a merchant from the city of Rouen, who was mentioned in a trade agreement dated 1567.
As the surname spread across France and eventually to other parts of Europe, different spellings emerged, such as "Fayne" and "Feyne." These variations likely arose due to regional dialects and the lack of standardized spelling conventions at the time.
Throughout history, several notable individuals have borne the FAINE surname. One such figure was Pierre FAINE (1592-1664), a French philosopher and theologian who authored several influential works on ethics and morality.
Another prominent bearer of the name was Marie FAINE (1718-1794), a renowned French actress and playwright who performed at the Comédie-Française in Paris during the 18th century.
In the realm of literature, Claude FAINE (1832-1908) was a French novelist and poet known for his works that explored themes of rural life and the natural world.
In more recent times, the FAINE surname has been associated with several notable figures, including Jacques FAINE (1906-1982), a French artist and sculptor whose works were exhibited in galleries across Europe.
Lastly, one cannot overlook the contributions of Simone FAINE (1924-2018), a French chemist and researcher who made significant advancements in the field of polymer science, earning her numerous accolades and honors throughout her career.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Faine
Among Census respondents with the surname Faine, the largest self-reported group is White at 53.5%. The next largest groups are Black (26.9%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (8.4%).
The bar chart below shows how Faine 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 Faine surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White53.5% · 209
- Black or African American26.9% · 105
- American Indian and Alaska Native8.4% · 33
- Two or more races5.9% · 23
- Hispanic or Latino3.6% · 14
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.8% · 7
Timeline
Historical Census data for Faine
Faine 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
#53,072
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 390
+6 bearers (+1.6%)
Per 100,000 0.13
Rank movement Down 2,048 places
2020
#56,436
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 391
+1 bearers (+0.3%)
Per 100,000 0.13
Rank movement Down 3,364 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #51,024 | 384 | 0.14 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #53,072 | 390 | 0.13 | +6 bearers (+1.6%) | Down 2,048 places |
| 2020 | #56,436 | 391 | 0.13 | +1 bearers (+0.3%) | Down 3,364 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 Faine 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 | #53,072 | #56,436 | -6.3% |
| Count | 390 | 391 | 0.3% |
| Per 100K | 0.13 | 0.13 | 0.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Faine bearers went from 390 to 391 (+0.3% change). The surname moved down 3,364 positions in the national ranking, going from #53,072 to #56,436.
FAQ
Faine surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Faine?
Name Census estimates that about 448 living Americans carry the surname Faine. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 765,077 residents.
How common is Faine?
Faine ranks #56,436 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.13 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 391 people with the surname Faine. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (448), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.13 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.13 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 Faine.
Has Faine become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Faine went from 390 recorded bearers to 391. That is an increase of 1 (+0.3%). In the national ranking it fell from #53,072 to #56,436.
What does the Census say about the background of Faine?
Among Census respondents with the surname Faine, the largest self-reported group is White at 53.5%. The next largest groups are Black (26.9%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (8.4%). 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 Faine in the 2020 Census, accounting for 53.5% (209 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Faine appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (53.5%), Black (26.9%), American Indian/Alaska Native (8.4%). 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 Faine (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 Faine mean?
A surname originating from the French term "faineant" meaning idle, lazy, or slothful. 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 Faine (0.13 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 Faine?
Our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers how many people have the last name Faine at a glance, with the living-bearer count up front.