2000
#5,569
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,723
First available Census row
Per 100,000 2.12
Rare Last name
Fairley
From the Old English words "fager" and "leah," meaning a beautiful or fair clearing or meadow.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 7,252 Americans carry the last name Fairley. That puts it at #5,319 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 2.12 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 47,263 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Fairley 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 Fairley with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
7.3K
1 in 47,263
Census rank
#5,319
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
2.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
6.3K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 6,324 bearers of the surname Fairley in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 2.12 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 5319th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Fairley, the largest self-reported group is Black at 63.3%. The next largest groups are White (28.9%) and Two or More Races (4.2%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Fairley
The surname Fairley has its origins in Scotland, dating back to the 12th century. It is derived from the Old English word "faerlic," meaning "wonderful" or "marvelous." The name likely originated in the Lowlands region of Scotland, where it was first recorded in the form of "Fayrly" or "Fairlie."
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Ragman Rolls of 1296, which lists those who swore allegiance to King Edward I of England. The document mentions a "William de Fayrly" from the county of Lanark.
The surname Fairley is also associated with several place names in Scotland, such as Fairlie in Ayrshire and Fairley in Renfrewshire. These place names may have contributed to the development and spread of the surname in the region.
In the 16th century, the Fairley name appeared in the records of the Scottish Reformation. John Fairley, born around 1520, was a Protestant reformer and minister in the Church of Scotland. He played a prominent role in the spread of Protestantism in the country.
Another notable individual with the surname Fairley was Robert Fairley, a Scottish poet and writer who lived in the late 17th and early 18th centuries. He is known for his work "The Rivin' Awa'," which depicts the struggles of the Scottish Covenanters during the religious conflicts of the time.
In the 19th century, John Fairley (1809-1872) was a Scottish politician and businessman who served as a Member of Parliament for the Ayr Burghs constituency. He was also involved in the development of the railway industry in Scotland.
Another prominent figure with the Fairley surname was Sir Andrew Fairley (1868-1949), a Scottish-born Australian businessman and philanthropist. He made a significant contribution to the development of the mining industry in Australia and was a generous supporter of educational institutions.
Finally, one cannot overlook the contribution of Sir Patrick Fairley (1901-1984), a Scottish-born Australian medical researcher and parasitologist. He played a crucial role in the development of treatments for tropical diseases, particularly malaria, and received numerous honors for his work.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Fairley
Among Census respondents with the surname Fairley, the largest self-reported group is Black at 63.3%. The next largest groups are White (28.9%) and Two or More Races (4.2%).
The bar chart below shows how Fairley 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 Fairley surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Black or African American63.3% · 4,002
- White28.9% · 1,829
- Two or more races4.2% · 267
- Hispanic or Latino3.0% · 187
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.3% · 22
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 17
Timeline
Historical Census data for Fairley
Fairley 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
#5,441
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 6,398
+675 bearers (+11.8%)
Per 100,000 2.17
Rank movement Up 128 places
2020
#5,319
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 6,324
-74 bearers (-1.2%)
Per 100,000 2.12
Rank movement Up 122 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #5,569 | 5,723 | 2.12 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #5,441 | 6,398 | 2.17 | +675 bearers (+11.8%) | Up 128 places |
| 2020 | #5,319 | 6,324 | 2.12 | -74 bearers (-1.2%) | Up 122 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 Fairley 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 | #5,441 | #5,319 | 2.2% |
| Count | 6,398 | 6,324 | -1.2% |
| Per 100K | 2.17 | 2.12 | -2.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Fairley bearers went from 6,398 to 6,324 (-1.2% change). The surname moved up 122 positions in the national ranking, going from #5,441 to #5,319.
FAQ
Fairley surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Fairley?
Name Census estimates that about 7,252 living Americans carry the surname Fairley. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 47,263 residents.
How common is Fairley?
Fairley ranks #5,319 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 2.12 per 100,000 residents, which is about 2 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 6,324 people with the surname Fairley. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (7,252), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 2.12 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 2.12 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 2 of them to have the surname Fairley.
Has Fairley become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Fairley went from 6,398 recorded bearers to 6,324. That is a decrease of 74 (-1.2%). In the national ranking it rose from #5,441 to #5,319.
What does the Census say about the background of Fairley?
Among Census respondents with the surname Fairley, the largest self-reported group is Black at 63.3%. The next largest groups are White (28.9%) and Two or More Races (4.2%). 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?
Black is the largest self-reported group for the surname Fairley in the 2020 Census, accounting for 63.3% (4,002 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Fairley appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Black (63.3%), White (28.9%), Two or More Races (4.2%). 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 Fairley (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 Fairley mean?
From the Old English words "fager" and "leah," meaning a beautiful or fair clearing or meadow. 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 Fairley (2.12 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 share the surname Fairley?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.