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

Fairburn, 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 Fairburn surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Fairburn in America

Fairburn is the 32268th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Fairburn surname appeared 714 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 people would have the surname Fairburn.

We can also compare 2010 data for Fairburn 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 Fairburn

The surname Fairburn is of English origin and can be traced back to the 12th century. It is believed to have derived from a place name, referring to someone who lived near a stream or brook with fair or light-colored water. The name is composed of the Old English words "fær" meaning fair or light-colored, and "burna" meaning a stream or brook.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Fairburn can be found in the Pipe Rolls of Yorkshire from 1166, where it is spelled "Fairburne." This suggests that the name was present in the northern English county of Yorkshire during the 12th century.

In the 13th century, the name Fairburn appeared in various legal records and manuscripts, including the Feet of Fines for Yorkshire in 1246, where it is spelled "Fayreburne." This spelling variation highlights the evolving nature of surnames during that time period.

The earliest known individual with the surname Fairburn was John Fairburn, who was mentioned in the Court Rolls of the Manor of Wakefield in Yorkshire in 1315. Another early record is of a William Fairburn, who was documented in the Lay Subsidy Rolls for Yorkshire in 1379.

Throughout history, several notable individuals have borne the surname Fairburn. One of them was Sir John Fairburn (1536-1598), an English politician and member of Parliament during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I. Another was Thomas Fairburn (1758-1837), a Scottish engraver and publisher known for his works on natural history.

In the 18th century, the surname Fairburn was associated with a place name in Yorkshire called Fairburn Ings, which was likely derived from the Old English words for a fair or light-colored stream. This connection further solidifies the surname's origins as a geographic descriptor.

Other individuals of note with the surname Fairburn include William Armstrong Fairburn (1853-1944), a Canadian politician and businessman, and John Fairburn (1794-1846), an English painter and engraver known for his landscape and botanical illustrations.

The surname Fairburn has undergone various spelling variations over the centuries, including Fairburn, Fairburne, Fayreburne, and Faireburne, reflecting the fluidity of surname spellings in earlier times.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Fairburn

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

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

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

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