Find out how popular the last name Fairbanks is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Fairbanks.

Fairbanks, 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 Fairbanks surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Fairbanks in America

Fairbanks is the 3743rd most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Fairbanks surname appeared 9,466 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 3 people would have the surname Fairbanks.

We can also compare 2010 data for Fairbanks 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.

The history of the last name Fairbanks

The surname Fairbanks has its origins in England, where it first emerged in the 12th century. It is a locational name, derived from one or more places called Fairbanks, possibly meaning the "pleasant bank" or "fair bank" near a river or stream.

The earliest known record of the name appears in the Pipe Rolls of Yorkshire in 1191, where it is listed as Fairbanke. Similar spellings such as Fayrebanke and Fayrbanke were also used in medieval times.

In the 13th century, the name is found in various records, including the Hundred Rolls of Oxfordshire from 1273, which mentions a Robert de Fairbanke. The Fairbanks name is also recorded in the Subsidy Rolls of Worcestershire in 1327.

One of the earliest notable figures with the Fairbanks surname was John Fairbanks, born around 1590 in Drayton, Leicestershire. He was one of the original settlers of Dedham, Massachusetts, arriving in 1633 and becoming a prominent citizen and landowner in the colony.

Another early Fairbanks was Richard Fairbanks, born in Boston, Massachusetts in 1638. He was a freeman and landowner in the town of Dedham and served as a selectman there.

In the 17th century, the Fairbanks family established themselves in various parts of New England, with branches settling in Connecticut, Rhode Island, and Vermont.

One of the most famous individuals with the Fairbanks surname was Charles Warren Fairbanks (1852-1918), an American politician who served as the 26th Vice President of the United States under Theodore Roosevelt from 1905 to 1909.

Other notable Fairbanks include Douglas Fairbanks (1883-1939), a renowned American actor, filmmaker, and one of the founders of the United Artists studio, and his son, Douglas Fairbanks Jr. (1909-2000), who was also a successful actor.

Lastly, Avard Fairbanks (1897-1987) was an American sculptor best known for his monumental works, including the sculpture of the Seated Lincoln at the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D.C.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Fairbanks

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Fairbanks.

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:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Fairbanks was:

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 Fairbanks has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

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 Fairbanks was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Fairbanks, please contact us.

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