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

Fairless, 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 Fairless surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Fairless in America

Fairless is the 30477th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Fairless surname appeared 766 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 Fairless.

We can also compare 2010 data for Fairless 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 Fairless

The surname Fairless has its origin in England, tracing back to the Middle Ages. It is believed to be derived from the Old English word "faer," meaning "journey" or "travel," combined with the suffix "-less," indicating a lack or absence. This suggests that the name may have originally referred to someone who did not travel or had a sedentary lifestyle.

One of the earliest recorded mentions of the Fairless surname can be found in the Pipe Rolls of Yorkshire from the year 1170, where a person named Hugo Fairless is listed. These rolls were financial records maintained by the English Exchequer, providing valuable historical documentation of names and locations during that time period.

Another early reference to the name appears in the Subsidy Rolls of Sussex from the year 1327, where a Robert Fairless is mentioned. These rolls were tax records that listed individuals by name and often provided insights into their occupations and social status.

In the 16th century, the Fairless surname can be found in various parish records across England. For instance, in the parish of Wrington, Somerset, the baptism of Thomas Fairless is recorded in 1558. Similarly, in the parish of Stockton-on-Tees, County Durham, the marriage of John Fairless and Elizabeth Pattinson is documented in 1586.

Notable individuals with the Fairless surname include William Fairless (1789-1866), a British engineer and inventor who designed and constructed several notable bridges, including the Suspension Bridge over the River Tweed at Berwick-upon-Tweed. Another prominent figure was Sir Nathaniel Fairless (1739-1808), a British naval officer who served during the American Revolutionary War and played a role in the Battle of Yorktown in 1781.

In the literary world, Michael Fairless (1869-1901), whose real name was Margaret Bestwick Fairless Barber, was a British novelist and essayist known for her semi-autobiographical work, "The Roadmender." Her book, published in 1902 after her death, gained widespread acclaim and was celebrated for its poetic depiction of the English countryside.

Other notable individuals with the Fairless surname include John Fairless (1828-1914), a Scottish-born Australian politician and businessman who served as a member of the New South Wales Legislative Assembly, and Robert Fairless (1927-2016), an American businessman and philanthropist who co-founded the Capital Group Companies, a prominent investment management firm.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Fairless

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

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

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

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