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

Fairfax, 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 Fairfax surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Fairfax in America

Fairfax is the 18622nd most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Fairfax surname appeared 1,478 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 1 people would have the surname Fairfax.

We can also compare 2010 data for Fairfax 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 Fairfax

The surname Fairfax is of English origin, deriving from the place name Fairfax in the East Riding of Yorkshire. It is believed to have originated from the Old English words 'fæger' meaning 'fair' or 'beautiful' and 'feax' meaning 'hair' or 'locks', suggesting a connection to a person with fair or blonde hair.

The earliest recorded instance of the surname can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, which mentions a landowner named Fairfax in Yorkshire. Over the centuries, variations in spelling emerged, including Fayrefax, Fayrfax, and Fairefax.

In the 13th century, the Fairfax family gained prominence as landowners and members of the gentry in Yorkshire. One notable figure was Sir William Fairfax (1305-1358), who served as a member of Parliament and fought in the Battle of Crécy during the Hundred Years' War.

During the English Civil War in the 17th century, the Fairfax family played a significant role on the Parliamentarian side. Thomas Fairfax (1612-1671) was a renowned military commander who led the Parliamentary forces to victory against King Charles I. His cousin, Ferdinando Fairfax (1584-1648), was a prominent member of the Long Parliament and a staunch supporter of the Puritan cause.

Another notable member of the family was Edward Fairfax (1580-1635), an English poet best known for his translation of Torquato Tasso's Jerusalem Delivered, which was highly praised and influenced English literature.

In the 18th century, Robert Fairfax (1707-1793) was a prominent landowner and member of the Virginia gentry. He served as a justice of the peace and was involved in the establishment of the town of Alexandria, Virginia.

The Fairfax surname has also been associated with several notable places, including Fairfax County in Virginia, named after Thomas Fairfax, and the town of Fairfax in Oxfordshire, England, which takes its name from the Fairfax family's former estate.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Fairfax

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

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

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

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