Find out how popular the last name Fair is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Fair.
An English and Scottish surname derived from the Saxon word "fager," meaning lovely, beautiful, or pleasant.
Fair, 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 Fair surname is from the 2010 census data.
Fair is the 1942nd most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.
The Fair surname appeared 18,609 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 6 people would have the surname Fair.
We can also compare 2010 data for Fair 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.
2010 | 2000 | Change (%) | |
---|---|---|---|
Rank | 1942 | 1870 | 3.78% |
Count | 18,609 | 17,658 | 5.24% |
Proportion per 100k | 6.31 | 6.55 | -3.73% |
The surname FAIR is of English origin, derived from the Old English word "faeger," meaning "beautiful" or "fair-haired." It first emerged as a surname in the 12th century, primarily used as a descriptive name for someone with a fair or light complexion.
The earliest recorded instances of the surname FAIR can be found in the Hundred Rolls of 1273, which were a census of households and landowners in England. One entry mentions a Roger le Fayre from Oxfordshire. The surname was also found in the Subsidy Rolls of Worcestershire in 1327, where a John le Fayre was listed.
During the Middle Ages, the FAIR surname was associated with several notable individuals. One such person was John Fair, a 14th-century English clergyman who served as the Bishop of Winchester from 1389 to 1404. Another was Thomas Fair, a 15th-century English philosopher and theologian who taught at the University of Oxford.
In Scotland, the FAIR surname can be traced back to the 13th century, with the earliest known bearer being William le Fayre, who was mentioned in the Ragman Rolls of 1296. This document recorded the names of Scottish landowners who swore allegiance to King Edward I of England.
The FAIR surname also has a connection to several place names in England, such as Fairfield, Fairford, and Fairhaven. These places likely derived their names from the Old English word "faeger," suggesting that the FAIR surname may have originated in or near these locations.
Throughout history, there have been several prominent individuals with the surname FAIR. One notable figure was Robert Fair (1637-1712), a Scottish philosopher and theologian who served as the Principal of the University of St Andrews. Another was Thomas Fair (1668-1737), an English mathematician and astronomer who made significant contributions to the study of celestial mechanics.
Other notable bearers of the FAIR surname include:
The FAIR surname has a rich history, reflecting its origins as a descriptive name for someone with a fair or light complexion. Its presence in various historical records and its association with notable individuals across different fields highlight the enduring legacy of this surname.
We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Fair.
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:
For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Fair was:
Race/Ethnicity | Percentage | Total Occurrences |
---|---|---|
Non-Hispanic White Only | 64.99% | 12,094 |
Non-Hispanic Black Only | 29.24% | 5,441 |
Non-Hispanic Asian and Pacific Islander Only | 0.58% | 108 |
Non-Hispanic American Indian and Alaskan Native | 0.42% | 78 |
Non-Hispanic of Two or More Races | 2.56% | 476 |
Hispanic Origin | 2.21% | 411 |
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 Fair has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.
2010 | 2000 | Change (%) | |
---|---|---|---|
White | 64.99% | 67.85% | -4.31% |
Black | 29.24% | 28.29% | 3.30% |
Asian and Pacific Islander | 0.58% | 0.41% | 34.34% |
American Indian and Alaskan Native | 0.42% | 0.40% | 4.88% |
Two or More Races | 2.56% | 1.71% | 39.81% |
Hispanic | 2.21% | 1.33% | 49.72% |
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 Fair was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.
If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Fair, please contact us.
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<a href="http://namecensus.com/last-names/fair-surname-popularity/">Fair last name popularity, history, and meaning</a>
"Fair last name popularity, history, and meaning". NameCensus.com. Accessed on December 3, 2024. http://namecensus.com/last-names/fair-surname-popularity/.
"Fair last name popularity, history, and meaning". NameCensus.com, http://namecensus.com/last-names/fair-surname-popularity/. Accessed 3 December, 2024
Fair last name popularity, history, and meaning. NameCensus.com. Retrieved from http://namecensus.com/last-names/fair-surname-popularity/.
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