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

Fall, 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 Fall surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Fall in America

Fall is the 6676th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Fall surname appeared 5,060 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 2 people would have the surname Fall.

We can also compare 2010 data for Fall 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 Fall

The surname FALL originates from England and dates back to the late 12th century. It is derived from the Old English word "falod," meaning a fallow or uncultivated field. The name likely referred to someone who lived near or worked on such land.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name is found in the Curia Regis Rolls of Worcestershire, England, from 1221, which mentions a Thomas de la Fale. The spelling variations in early records include Falle, Falegh, and Falley.

In the Hundred Rolls of 1273, a survey of landowners in England, several individuals with the surname FALL are listed, such as Robert de la Fale in Oxfordshire and Walter de la Fale in Cambridgeshire.

The Domesday Book, a comprehensive record of landholdings in England commissioned by William the Conqueror in 1086, does not contain the surname FALL, as it predates the widespread use of hereditary surnames.

One of the earliest known bearers of the surname FALL was Sir William Fall (c. 1350-1418), a prominent English landowner and military commander during the Hundred Years' War. He served under King Henry V and participated in the Battle of Agincourt in 1415.

Another notable figure was Sir John Fall (c. 1465-1536), an English politician and member of Parliament during the reign of Henry VIII. He served as Sheriff of Gloucestershire and was involved in the suppression of the Pilgrimage of Grace, a major uprising against the religious reforms of the Tudor period.

In the 16th century, the surname FALL was also found in Scotland, where it may have derived from the Scottish Gaelic word "fall," meaning a level or cultivated field. One example is Robert Fall (c. 1560-1637), a Scottish clergyman and theologian who served as the principal of the University of Glasgow.

Moving forward to the 17th century, we find John Fall (1625-1697), an English Puritan minister and writer who published several religious works and was known for his nonconformist views.

A more recent historical figure was Demetrius Fall (1786-1863), a Greek military officer and patriot who played a significant role in the Greek War of Independence against the Ottoman Empire in the early 19th century.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Fall

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

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

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

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