2000
#3,650
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 8,948
First available Census row
Per 100,000 3.32
Uncommon Last name
Fairbanks
A locational surname referring to someone who lived near a hillside or riverbank of fair or pleasing appearance.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 10,529 Americans carry the last name Fairbanks. That puts it at #3,767 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 3.07 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 32,553 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Fairbanks 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 Fairbanks with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
11K
1 in 32,553
Census rank
#3,767
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
3.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
9.2K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 9,182 bearers of the surname Fairbanks in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 3.07 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 3767th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Fairbanks, the largest self-reported group is White at 80.5%. The next largest groups are American Indian/Alaska Native (5.7%) and Two or More Races (5.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of 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.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Fairbanks
Among Census respondents with the surname Fairbanks, the largest self-reported group is White at 80.5%. The next largest groups are American Indian/Alaska Native (5.7%) and Two or More Races (5.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Fairbanks 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 Fairbanks surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White80.5% · 7,387
- American Indian and Alaska Native5.7% · 519
- Two or more races5.6% · 514
- Black or African American3.6% · 333
- Hispanic or Latino3.6% · 333
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.0% · 96
Timeline
Historical Census data for Fairbanks
Fairbanks 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
#3,743
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 9,466
+518 bearers (+5.8%)
Per 100,000 3.21
Rank movement Down 93 places
2020
#3,767
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 9,182
-284 bearers (-3.0%)
Per 100,000 3.07
Rank movement Down 24 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #3,650 | 8,948 | 3.32 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #3,743 | 9,466 | 3.21 | +518 bearers (+5.8%) | Down 93 places |
| 2020 | #3,767 | 9,182 | 3.07 | -284 bearers (-3.0%) | Down 24 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 Fairbanks 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 | #3,743 | #3,767 | -0.6% |
| Count | 9,466 | 9,182 | -3.0% |
| Per 100K | 3.21 | 3.07 | -4.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Fairbanks bearers went from 9,466 to 9,182 (-3.0% change). The surname moved down 24 positions in the national ranking, going from #3,743 to #3,767.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Fairbanks
FAQ
Fairbanks surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Fairbanks?
Name Census estimates that about 10,529 living Americans carry the surname Fairbanks. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 32,553 residents.
How common is Fairbanks?
Fairbanks ranks #3,767 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 3.07 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 9,182 people with the surname Fairbanks. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (10,529), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 3.07 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 3.07 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 Fairbanks.
Has Fairbanks become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Fairbanks went from 9,466 recorded bearers to 9,182. That is a decrease of 284 (-3.0%). In the national ranking it fell from #3,743 to #3,767.
What does the Census say about the background of Fairbanks?
Among Census respondents with the surname Fairbanks, the largest self-reported group is White at 80.5%. The next largest groups are American Indian/Alaska Native (5.7%) and Two or More Races (5.6%). 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 Fairbanks in the 2020 Census, accounting for 80.5% (7,387 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Fairbanks appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (80.5%), American Indian/Alaska Native (5.7%), Two or More Races (5.6%). 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 Fairbanks (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 Fairbanks mean?
A locational surname referring to someone who lived near a hillside or riverbank of fair or pleasing appearance. 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 Fairbanks (3.07 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 have the last name Fairbanks?
Find out how many people have the surname Fairbanks on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.