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

Fairclough, 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 Fairclough surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Fairclough in America

Fairclough is the 23881st most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Fairclough surname appeared 1,057 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 Fairclough.

We can also compare 2010 data for Fairclough 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 Fairclough

The surname Fairclough is of English origin and can be traced back to the 13th century. It is a locational name derived from the Old English words "faeger" meaning fair or beautiful, and "clough" meaning a ravine or valley. The name likely originated in areas of northern England where such landscapes were prevalent.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Assize Court Rolls of Lancashire in 1246, where a Richard de Fayreclough is mentioned. In the Subsidy Rolls of Sussex in 1296, a Thomas de Fairclowe is listed, suggesting an early variant spelling.

The Fairclough name appears to have been particularly concentrated in the counties of Lancashire and Yorkshire in its early days. In the Lay Subsidy Rolls of 1332, several individuals with the name are recorded in the village of Ormskirk, Lancashire, including Henricus de Fairclough and Johannes de Fairclogh.

During the 16th and 17th centuries, the name can be found in various historical records, such as the Wills at Chester Probate Registry, where a John Fairclough of Neston is mentioned in 1618. In the Hearth Tax Rolls of 1666, several Fairclough families are listed in the parish of Wigan, Lancashire.

One notable individual with the Fairclough surname was John Fairclough (1594-1677), a Puritan clergyman and ejected minister from Suffolk. He was a vocal critic of the Church of England and was known for his nonconformist views.

Another prominent figure was Daniel Fairclough (1632-1677), a Scottish Covenanter and minister who was imprisoned for his religious beliefs and later became a prominent preacher in the Netherlands.

In the 18th century, the name can be found in the parish registers of Oldham, Lancashire, where a Thomas Fairclough was born in 1702. Additionally, a John Fairclough (1739-1784) was a notable singer and composer from Yorkshire.

The 19th century saw the birth of Samuel Fairclough (1824-1891), a British politician and Member of Parliament for Prestwich, Lancashire, from 1885 to 1891.

While the Fairclough name originated in northern England, it has since spread to other parts of the country and beyond, with pockets of Fairclough families found in various regions over the centuries.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Fairclough

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

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

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

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