2000
#1,870
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 17,658
First available Census row
Per 100,000 6.55
Uncommon Last name
Fair
An English and Scottish surname derived from the Saxon word "fager," meaning lovely, beautiful, or pleasant.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 20,214 Americans carry the last name Fair. That puts it at #2,002 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 5.90 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 16,956 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Fair 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 Fair with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
20K
1 in 16,956
Census rank
#2,002
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
5.9
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
18K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 17,628 bearers of the surname Fair in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 5.90 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 2002nd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Fair, the largest self-reported group is White at 62.6%. The next largest groups are Black (28.6%) and Two or More Races (4.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Fair
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:
1. Andrew Fair (1845-1912), a Scottish-American businessman and philanthropist.
2. Christine Fair (born 1973), an American political scientist and South Asia expert.
3. Jeffrey Fair (born 1956), an American actor and television producer.
4. Nigel Fair (born 1944), an English actor and television presenter.
5. Thomas Fair (1804-1885), an English inventor and engineer known for his work on steam engines.
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.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Fair
Among Census respondents with the surname Fair, the largest self-reported group is White at 62.6%. The next largest groups are Black (28.6%) and Two or More Races (4.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Fair 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 Fair surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White62.6% · 11,033
- Black or African American28.6% · 5,036
- Two or more races4.8% · 840
- Hispanic or Latino3.0% · 529
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 116
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.4% · 74
Timeline
Historical Census data for Fair
Fair 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
#1,942
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 18,609
+951 bearers (+5.4%)
Per 100,000 6.31
Rank movement Down 72 places
2020
#2,002
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 17,628
-981 bearers (-5.3%)
Per 100,000 5.90
Rank movement Down 60 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #1,870 | 17,658 | 6.55 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #1,942 | 18,609 | 6.31 | +951 bearers (+5.4%) | Down 72 places |
| 2020 | #2,002 | 17,628 | 5.90 | -981 bearers (-5.3%) | Down 60 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 Fair 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 | #1,942 | #2,002 | -3.1% |
| Count | 18,609 | 17,628 | -5.3% |
| Per 100K | 6.31 | 5.90 | -6.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Fair bearers went from 18,609 to 17,628 (-5.3% change). The surname moved down 60 positions in the national ranking, going from #1,942 to #2,002.
FAQ
Fair surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Fair?
Name Census estimates that about 20,214 living Americans carry the surname Fair. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 16,956 residents.
How common is Fair?
Fair ranks #2,002 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 5.90 per 100,000 residents, which is about 6 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 17,628 people with the surname Fair. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (20,214), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 5.9 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 5.90 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 6 of them to have the surname Fair.
Has Fair become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Fair went from 18,609 recorded bearers to 17,628. That is a decrease of 981 (-5.3%). In the national ranking it fell from #1,942 to #2,002.
What does the Census say about the background of Fair?
Among Census respondents with the surname Fair, the largest self-reported group is White at 62.6%. The next largest groups are Black (28.6%) and Two or More Races (4.8%). 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 Fair in the 2020 Census, accounting for 62.6% (11,033 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Fair appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (62.6%), Black (28.6%), Two or More Races (4.8%). 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 Fair (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 Fair mean?
An English and Scottish surname derived from the Saxon word "fager," meaning lovely, beautiful, or pleasant. 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 Fair (5.90 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 share the surname Fair?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.