2000
#9,213
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,256
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.21
Rare Last name
Falconer
An occupational surname referring to a person who breeds, trains, or hunts with falcons or hawks.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 3,858 Americans carry the last name Falconer. That puts it at #9,284 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.13 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 88,842 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Falconer 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 Falconer with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
3.9K
1 in 88,842
Census rank
#9,284
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
3.4K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 3,364 bearers of the surname Falconer in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.13 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 9284th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Falconer, the largest self-reported group is White at 69.7%. The next largest groups are Black (19.9%) and Two or More Races (4.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of 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.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Falconer
Among Census respondents with the surname Falconer, the largest self-reported group is White at 69.7%. The next largest groups are Black (19.9%) and Two or More Races (4.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Falconer 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 Falconer surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White69.7% · 2,345
- Black or African American19.9% · 669
- Two or more races4.6% · 156
- Hispanic or Latino4.5% · 151
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 24
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.6% · 19
Timeline
Historical Census data for Falconer
Falconer 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
#9,440
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,446
+190 bearers (+5.8%)
Per 100,000 1.17
Rank movement Down 227 places
2020
#9,284
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,364
-82 bearers (-2.4%)
Per 100,000 1.13
Rank movement Up 156 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #9,213 | 3,256 | 1.21 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #9,440 | 3,446 | 1.17 | +190 bearers (+5.8%) | Down 227 places |
| 2020 | #9,284 | 3,364 | 1.13 | -82 bearers (-2.4%) | Up 156 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 Falconer 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 | #9,440 | #9,284 | 1.7% |
| Count | 3,446 | 3,364 | -2.4% |
| Per 100K | 1.17 | 1.13 | -3.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Falconer bearers went from 3,446 to 3,364 (-2.4% change). The surname moved up 156 positions in the national ranking, going from #9,440 to #9,284.
FAQ
Falconer surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Falconer?
Name Census estimates that about 3,858 living Americans carry the surname Falconer. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 88,842 residents.
How common is Falconer?
Falconer ranks #9,284 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.13 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 3,364 people with the surname Falconer. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (3,858), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.13 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.13 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Falconer.
Has Falconer become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Falconer went from 3,446 recorded bearers to 3,364. That is a decrease of 82 (-2.4%). In the national ranking it rose from #9,440 to #9,284.
What does the Census say about the background of Falconer?
Among Census respondents with the surname Falconer, the largest self-reported group is White at 69.7%. The next largest groups are Black (19.9%) and Two or More Races (4.6%). 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 Falconer in the 2020 Census, accounting for 69.7% (2,345 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Falconer appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (69.7%), Black (19.9%), Two or More Races (4.6%). 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 Falconer (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 Falconer mean?
An occupational surname referring to a person who breeds, trains, or hunts with falcons or hawks. 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 Falconer (1.13 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 Falconer?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.