2000
#2,605
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 12,744
First available Census row
Per 100,000 4.72
Uncommon Last name
Fallon
Descended from the ruler or chief of a town or settlement, derived from the Irish surname Ó Fallamháin.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 13,035 Americans carry the last name Fallon. That puts it at #3,085 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 3.80 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 26,295 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Fallon 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 Fallon with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
13K
1 in 26,295
Census rank
#3,085
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
3.8
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
11K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 11,367 bearers of the surname Fallon in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 3.80 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 3085th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Fallon, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.9%) and Two or More Races (2.3%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Fallon
The surname Fallon is of Irish origin, derived from the Gaelic word "Ó Fallamhain," meaning "descendant of Fallamhan." The name Fallamhan is believed to have been derived from the Old Irish word "fáll," meaning "ruler" or "chief."
The Fallon family is associated with County Longford and County Westmeath in Ireland, where they were prominent landowners and chieftains. The name can be traced back to the 11th century, and it is mentioned in several Irish annals and manuscripts from that period.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Fallon appears in the Annals of the Four Masters, a chronicle of medieval Irish history, which mentions a notable figure named Fallon Ó Fallamhain in the year 1150.
In the 16th century, during the Tudor conquest of Ireland, the Fallon family was among the Irish clans that resisted the English invasion. The Fallon clan's stronghold was located in the territory of Muintir Fallon (meaning "people of Fallon") in County Longford.
Throughout history, several notable individuals have borne the surname Fallon. One such person was Sir Samuel Fallon (1805-1888), an Irish politician and land agent who served as a Member of Parliament for County Longford.
Another prominent figure was Patrick Fallon (1858-1935), an Irish-American businessman and politician who served as the Mayor of Portland, Oregon, from 1911 to 1917.
In the field of literature, William Fallon (1886-1966) was an Irish poet and playwright known for his works celebrating Irish culture and rural life.
Eamon Fallon (1914-2003) was an Irish hurler who played for the Galway senior hurling team and won the All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship in 1938.
More recently, Jimmy Fallon (born 1974) is an American comedian, actor, and television host best known for hosting "The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon" on NBC.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Fallon
Among Census respondents with the surname Fallon, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.9%) and Two or More Races (2.3%).
The bar chart below shows how Fallon 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 Fallon surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White91.1% · 10,358
- Hispanic or Latino3.9% · 446
- Two or more races2.3% · 266
- Black or African American1.5% · 169
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9% · 100
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 28
Timeline
Historical Census data for Fallon
Fallon 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
#2,994
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 11,974
-770 bearers (-6.0%)
Per 100,000 4.06
Rank movement Down 389 places
2020
#3,085
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 11,367
-607 bearers (-5.1%)
Per 100,000 3.80
Rank movement Down 91 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #2,605 | 12,744 | 4.72 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #2,994 | 11,974 | 4.06 | -770 bearers (-6.0%) | Down 389 places |
| 2020 | #3,085 | 11,367 | 3.80 | -607 bearers (-5.1%) | Down 91 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 Fallon 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 | #2,994 | #3,085 | -3.0% |
| Count | 11,974 | 11,367 | -5.1% |
| Per 100K | 4.06 | 3.80 | -6.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Fallon bearers went from 11,974 to 11,367 (-5.1% change). The surname moved down 91 positions in the national ranking, going from #2,994 to #3,085.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Fallon
FAQ
Fallon surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Fallon?
Name Census estimates that about 13,035 living Americans carry the surname Fallon. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 26,295 residents.
How common is Fallon?
Fallon ranks #3,085 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 3.80 per 100,000 residents, which is about 4 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 11,367 people with the surname Fallon. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (13,035), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 3.8 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 3.80 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 4 of them to have the surname Fallon.
Has Fallon become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Fallon went from 11,974 recorded bearers to 11,367. That is a decrease of 607 (-5.1%). In the national ranking it fell from #2,994 to #3,085.
What does the Census say about the background of Fallon?
Among Census respondents with the surname Fallon, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.9%) and Two or More Races (2.3%). 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 Fallon in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.1% (10,358 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Fallon appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (91.1%), Hispanic (3.9%), Two or More Races (2.3%). 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 Fallon (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 Fallon mean?
Descended from the ruler or chief of a town or settlement, derived from the Irish surname Ó Fallamháin. 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 Fallon (3.80 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 Fallon?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.