2000
#7,301
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,209
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.56
Rare Last name
Fall
An English topographic surname denoting someone who lived near a waterfall or a person who had fallen from grace.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 5,761 Americans carry the last name Fall. That puts it at #6,495 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.68 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 59,496 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Fall 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 Fall with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
5.8K
1 in 59,496
Census rank
#6,495
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
5.0K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 5,024 bearers of the surname Fall in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.68 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 6495th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Fall, the largest self-reported group is White at 54.1%. The next largest groups are Black (36.9%) and Two or More Races (3.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of 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.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Fall
Among Census respondents with the surname Fall, the largest self-reported group is White at 54.1%. The next largest groups are Black (36.9%) and Two or More Races (3.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Fall 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 Fall surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White54.1% · 2,717
- Black or African American36.9% · 1,856
- Two or more races3.5% · 178
- Hispanic or Latino2.5% · 128
- American Indian and Alaska Native2.2% · 111
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 34
Timeline
Historical Census data for Fall
Fall 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
#6,676
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,060
+851 bearers (+20.2%)
Per 100,000 1.72
Rank movement Up 625 places
2020
#6,495
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,024
-36 bearers (-0.7%)
Per 100,000 1.68
Rank movement Up 181 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #7,301 | 4,209 | 1.56 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #6,676 | 5,060 | 1.72 | +851 bearers (+20.2%) | Up 625 places |
| 2020 | #6,495 | 5,024 | 1.68 | -36 bearers (-0.7%) | Up 181 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 Fall 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 | #6,676 | #6,495 | 2.7% |
| Count | 5,060 | 5,024 | -0.7% |
| Per 100K | 1.72 | 1.68 | -2.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Fall bearers went from 5,060 to 5,024 (-0.7% change). The surname moved up 181 positions in the national ranking, going from #6,676 to #6,495.
FAQ
Fall surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Fall?
Name Census estimates that about 5,761 living Americans carry the surname Fall. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 59,496 residents.
How common is Fall?
Fall ranks #6,495 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.68 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 5,024 people with the surname Fall. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (5,761), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.68 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.68 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 Fall.
Has Fall become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Fall went from 5,060 recorded bearers to 5,024. That is a decrease of 36 (-0.7%). In the national ranking it rose from #6,676 to #6,495.
What does the Census say about the background of Fall?
Among Census respondents with the surname Fall, the largest self-reported group is White at 54.1%. The next largest groups are Black (36.9%) and Two or More Races (3.5%). 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 Fall in the 2020 Census, accounting for 54.1% (2,717 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Fall appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (54.1%), Black (36.9%), Two or More Races (3.5%). 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 Fall (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 Fall mean?
An English topographic surname denoting someone who lived near a waterfall or a person who had fallen from grace. 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 Fall (1.68 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 are called Fall?
Our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers how many people are called Fall at a glance, with the living-bearer count up front.