2000
#3,757
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 8,665
First available Census row
Per 100,000 3.21
Rare Last name
Faircloth
A surname derived from a place name meaning "fair" or "beautiful" and "cloth," referring to a fine fabric.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 9,629 Americans carry the last name Faircloth. That puts it at #4,100 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 2.81 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 35,596 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Faircloth 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 Faircloth with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
9.6K
1 in 35,596
Census rank
#4,100
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
2.8
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
8.4K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 8,397 bearers of the surname Faircloth in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 2.81 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 4100th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Faircloth, the largest self-reported group is White at 86.4%. The next largest groups are Black (4.6%) and Two or More Races (4.3%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Faircloth
The surname "Faircloth" is of English origin and can be traced back to the late 13th century. It is derived from the Old English words "faeger" meaning "fair" or "beautiful" and "clath" meaning "cloth." The name likely referred to a person who traded or dealt in fine or high-quality cloth.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Huntingdonshire Hundred Rolls of 1273, where a William Fayrcloth is mentioned. The name also appears in various other medieval records, such as the Sussex Subsidy Rolls of 1296, where a John Faircloth is listed.
During the 14th and 15th centuries, the name was primarily concentrated in the southern counties of England, particularly in Sussex, Surrey, and Kent. It is believed that the name may have originated in these areas, where the textile industry was thriving.
In the 16th century, the name began to spread to other parts of England, and variations in spelling, such as "Fayrcloth" and "Fayrecloth," became more common. One notable bearer of the name during this period was Richard Faircloth, a merchant and philanthropist from London, who lived from 1548 to 1623.
The name continued to be prevalent in England throughout the 17th and 18th centuries, with several notable figures bearing the surname. One such figure was Samuel Faircloth (1629-1691), a Puritan clergyman and author who served as the rector of Yealmpton in Devon.
Another notable bearer of the name was John Faircloth (1758-1829), a successful merchant and landowner from Gloucestershire. He was known for his extensive business dealings and philanthropic endeavors.
In the 19th century, the name began to spread to other parts of the world, particularly to North America, as a result of immigration. One of the earliest recorded instances of the name in the United States was Thomas Faircloth, who was born in North Carolina in 1835.
Throughout its history, the surname "Faircloth" has been associated with various occupations, particularly those related to the textile industry, such as weavers, merchants, and traders. However, it has also been borne by individuals from various other walks of life, including clergymen, landowners, and business leaders.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Faircloth
Among Census respondents with the surname Faircloth, the largest self-reported group is White at 86.4%. The next largest groups are Black (4.6%) and Two or More Races (4.3%).
The bar chart below shows how Faircloth 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 Faircloth surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White86.4% · 7,252
- Black or African American4.6% · 384
- Two or more races4.3% · 365
- Hispanic or Latino2.6% · 219
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.6% · 137
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.5% · 40
Timeline
Historical Census data for Faircloth
Faircloth 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
#3,971
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 8,954
+289 bearers (+3.3%)
Per 100,000 3.04
Rank movement Down 214 places
2020
#4,100
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 8,397
-557 bearers (-6.2%)
Per 100,000 2.81
Rank movement Down 129 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #3,757 | 8,665 | 3.21 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #3,971 | 8,954 | 3.04 | +289 bearers (+3.3%) | Down 214 places |
| 2020 | #4,100 | 8,397 | 2.81 | -557 bearers (-6.2%) | Down 129 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 Faircloth 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 | #3,971 | #4,100 | -3.2% |
| Count | 8,954 | 8,397 | -6.2% |
| Per 100K | 3.04 | 2.81 | -7.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Faircloth bearers went from 8,954 to 8,397 (-6.2% change). The surname moved down 129 positions in the national ranking, going from #3,971 to #4,100.
FAQ
Faircloth surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Faircloth?
Name Census estimates that about 9,629 living Americans carry the surname Faircloth. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 35,596 residents.
How common is Faircloth?
Faircloth ranks #4,100 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 2.81 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 8,397 people with the surname Faircloth. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (9,629), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 2.81 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 2.81 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 Faircloth.
Has Faircloth become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Faircloth went from 8,954 recorded bearers to 8,397. That is a decrease of 557 (-6.2%). In the national ranking it fell from #3,971 to #4,100.
What does the Census say about the background of Faircloth?
Among Census respondents with the surname Faircloth, the largest self-reported group is White at 86.4%. The next largest groups are Black (4.6%) and Two or More Races (4.3%). 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 Faircloth in the 2020 Census, accounting for 86.4% (7,252 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Faircloth appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (86.4%), Black (4.6%), Two or More Races (4.3%). 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 Faircloth (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 Faircloth mean?
A surname derived from a place name meaning "fair" or "beautiful" and "cloth," referring to a fine fabric. 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 Faircloth (2.81 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 surname Faircloth?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.