2000
#148,244
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 102
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Fairholm
A locational surname indicating someone from a fair or beautiful hillock.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 128 Americans carry the last name Fairholm. That puts it at #147,954 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,677,768 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Fairholm 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 Fairholm with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
128
1 in 2,677,768
Census rank
#147,954
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
112
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 112 bearers of the surname Fairholm in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 147954th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Fairholm, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (6.3%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Fairholm
The surname Fairholm is of English origin, tracing its roots back to the early medieval period. It is believed to have derived from a combination of the Old English words "faeger," meaning fair or beautiful, and "holm," referring to a small island or a river meadow. This suggests that the name may have initially been a descriptive term for someone who lived on a picturesque island or near a scenic river meadow.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Domesday Book, a comprehensive survey of land and property ownership commissioned by William the Conqueror in 1086. The entry mentions a landholder named Fulcher de Fairholm in the county of Berkshire, indicating that the name had already been established by the late 11th century.
During the 13th and 14th centuries, various spelling variations of the name appeared in historical records, including Fairholme, Fayreholm, and Faireholm. These variations likely reflect regional dialects and the inconsistencies in spelling conventions at the time.
A notable bearer of the name was Sir John Fairholm, a prominent English knight who fought alongside Edward III during the Hundred Years' War. He was renowned for his bravery in the Battle of Crécy in 1346 and was rewarded with land grants in Northumberland.
In the 16th century, the Fairholm family established themselves as landowners in the county of Yorkshire. Thomas Fairholm (1525-1589), a wealthy wool merchant, was instrumental in the construction of St. Mary's Church in the village of Fairholme, which bears his family's name.
Another significant figure was Elizabeth Fairholm (1680-1757), a renowned botanist and herbalist from Gloucestershire. Her extensive knowledge of medicinal plants and remedies was widely recognized, and she published a influential treatise titled "The English Herbal" in 1745.
During the 18th and 19th centuries, the Fairholm name spread across various parts of the British Isles, with families settling in Scotland, Ireland, and Wales. One notable example is Robert Fairholm (1791-1867), a Scottish immigrant to Canada who became a prominent businessman and philanthropist in Montreal.
While the name Fairholm is not as common as some other English surnames, it has a rich history that spans several centuries and is deeply rooted in the cultural and geographical heritage of the British Isles.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Fairholm
Among Census respondents with the surname Fairholm, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (6.3%).
The bar chart below shows how Fairholm 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 Fairholm surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White93.8% · 105
- Hispanic or Latino6.3% · 7
Timeline
Historical Census data for Fairholm
Fairholm 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
#147,253
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 112
+10 bearers (+9.8%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 991 places
2020
#147,954
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 112
+0 bearers (+0.0%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 701 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #148,244 | 102 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #147,253 | 112 | 0.04 | +10 bearers (+9.8%) | Up 991 places |
| 2020 | #147,954 | 112 | 0.04 | +0 bearers (+0.0%) | Down 701 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 Fairholm 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 | #147,253 | #147,954 | -0.5% |
| Count | 112 | 112 | 0.0% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -6.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Fairholm bearers went from 112 to 112 (+0.0% change). The surname moved down 701 positions in the national ranking, going from #147,253 to #147,954.
FAQ
Fairholm surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Fairholm?
Name Census estimates that about 128 living Americans carry the surname Fairholm. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,677,768 residents.
How common is Fairholm?
Fairholm ranks #147,954 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 112 people with the surname Fairholm. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (128), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.04 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Fairholm.
Has Fairholm become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Fairholm went from 112 recorded bearers to 112. That is an increase of 0 (+0.0%). In the national ranking it fell from #147,253 to #147,954.
What does the Census say about the background of Fairholm?
Among Census respondents with the surname Fairholm, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (6.3%). 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 Fairholm in the 2020 Census, accounting for 93.8% (105 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Fairholm appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (93.8%), Hispanic (6.3%). 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 Fairholm (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 Fairholm mean?
A locational surname indicating someone from a fair or beautiful hillock. 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 Fairholm (0.04 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 Fairholm?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.