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

Falconer, 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 Falconer surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Falconer in America

Falconer is the 9440th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Falconer surname appeared 3,446 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 Falconer.

We can also compare 2010 data for Falconer 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 Falconer

The surname Falconer originated in medieval England and Scotland. It is an occupational surname derived from the Old French word 'fauconer', which means a person who tended to and trained falcons for hunting. The name first arose in the early 12th century when falconry became a popular sport among the nobility.

In England, the earliest recorded instance of the surname Falconer dates back to the Hundred Rolls of 1273, which listed a William le Fauconer in Oxford. The name also appeared in various tax records and court rolls throughout the 13th and 14th centuries, particularly in the counties of Yorkshire, Lincolnshire, and Norfolk.

In Scotland, the Falconer surname has a long and distinguished history. One of the earliest recorded Scottish Falconers was Sir David Falconer, who was a prominent knight and courtier during the reign of King David II in the mid-14th century. The Falconer family later acquired lands in Fife and Kincardineshire, becoming a prominent clan in those regions.

The surname Falconer has also been associated with several notable figures throughout history. One such person was Sir Robert Falconer (c. 1350-1418), a Scottish knight and ambassador who served under King Robert III and played a crucial role in negotiating the release of King James I from English captivity.

Another notable Falconer was Ranald Erskine Falconer (1821-1891), a Scottish scholar and theologian who served as the Principal of the University of Edinburgh from 1880 until his death. He was a renowned expert on biblical studies and played a significant role in the development of higher education in Scotland.

In the literary world, Hugh Falconer (1808-1865) was a Scottish paleontologist and botanist who made important contributions to the study of fossil mammals in India. His work helped establish paleontology as a scientific discipline in the Indian subcontinent.

The Falconer surname has also been prominent in the United States, with one of the earliest recorded instances being John Falconer (c. 1577-1643), an English colonist who settled in Massachusetts Bay Colony and served as a deputy to the General Court of Massachusetts.

Overall, the surname Falconer has a rich and varied history, with its roots firmly planted in the medieval traditions of falconry and the nobility. It has been borne by individuals from diverse backgrounds, including knights, scholars, scientists, and colonists, contributing to the cultural and intellectual heritage of many nations.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Falconer

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

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

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

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