2000
#4,313
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 7,615
First available Census row
Per 100,000 2.82
Rare Last name
Falls
Likely referring to someone living near a waterfall or a place with steep, hilly terrain.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 8,454 Americans carry the last name Falls. That puts it at #4,666 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 2.47 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 40,543 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Falls 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 Falls with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
8.5K
1 in 40,543
Census rank
#4,666
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
2.5
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
7.4K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 7,372 bearers of the surname Falls in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 2.47 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 4666th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Falls, the largest self-reported group is White at 70.2%. The next largest groups are Black (21.5%) and Two or More Races (4.3%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Falls
The surname "FALLS" is of English origin and is believed to have derived from the Old English word "feall," meaning a small stream or rivulet. It was most likely used as a toponymic surname, referring to someone who lived near a small waterfall or stream.
The earliest recorded instances of the name can be traced back to the late 12th century in various counties across England. One of the earliest known bearers of the name was Robert de Falle, who was mentioned in the Curia Regis Rolls of Hertfordshire in 1198.
During the Middle Ages, the name appeared in various spellings, such as Falle, Fales, Falles, and Fallows, reflecting the regional dialects and variations in pronunciation. The surname was particularly prevalent in the counties of Derbyshire, Nottinghamshire, and Yorkshire, where many small streams and waterfalls were found.
In the 16th century, the name appears in the records of the Parish Registers of Bakewell, Derbyshire, with the baptism of John Falls in 1589. Another notable bearer of the name was William Falls, a merchant from York, who was mentioned in the Freemen's Roll of York in 1612.
The surname gained further prominence in the 17th and 18th centuries, with several notable individuals bearing the name. John Falls (1601-1675) was an English Puritan clergyman and author, known for his work "The Life and Death of the Reverend Mr. John Smith." Another notable figure was Samuel Falls (1648-1719), an English mathematician and astronomer who made significant contributions to the study of comets and celestial mechanics.
In the 19th century, the surname continued to be associated with various notable individuals. John Falls (1801-1880) was a British landscape painter known for his depictions of rural scenes and landscapes. James Falls (1833-1912) was a Scottish journalist and author who wrote extensively about the history and culture of Scotland.
Throughout its history, the surname "FALLS" has also been associated with various place names, such as Falls Village in Connecticut, United States, and Falls Creek in Victoria, Australia. These place names likely derived from the presence of waterfalls or streams in those areas, further reinforcing the toponymic origin of the surname.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Falls
Among Census respondents with the surname Falls, the largest self-reported group is White at 70.2%. The next largest groups are Black (21.5%) and Two or More Races (4.3%).
The bar chart below shows how Falls 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 Falls surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White70.2% · 5,172
- Black or African American21.5% · 1,588
- Two or more races4.3% · 318
- Hispanic or Latino3.0% · 223
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 41
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.4% · 30
Timeline
Historical Census data for Falls
Falls 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
#4,865
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 7,250
-365 bearers (-4.8%)
Per 100,000 2.46
Rank movement Down 552 places
2020
#4,666
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 7,372
+122 bearers (+1.7%)
Per 100,000 2.47
Rank movement Up 199 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #4,313 | 7,615 | 2.82 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #4,865 | 7,250 | 2.46 | -365 bearers (-4.8%) | Down 552 places |
| 2020 | #4,666 | 7,372 | 2.47 | +122 bearers (+1.7%) | Up 199 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 Falls 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 | #4,865 | #4,666 | 4.1% |
| Count | 7,250 | 7,372 | 1.7% |
| Per 100K | 2.46 | 2.47 | 0.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Falls bearers went from 7,250 to 7,372 (+1.7% change). The surname moved up 199 positions in the national ranking, going from #4,865 to #4,666.
FAQ
Falls surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Falls?
Name Census estimates that about 8,454 living Americans carry the surname Falls. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 40,543 residents.
How common is Falls?
Falls ranks #4,666 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 2.47 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 7,372 people with the surname Falls. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (8,454), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 2.47 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 2.47 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 Falls.
Has Falls become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Falls went from 7,250 recorded bearers to 7,372. That is an increase of 122 (+1.7%). In the national ranking it rose from #4,865 to #4,666.
What does the Census say about the background of Falls?
Among Census respondents with the surname Falls, the largest self-reported group is White at 70.2%. The next largest groups are Black (21.5%) and Two or More Races (4.3%). 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 Falls in the 2020 Census, accounting for 70.2% (5,172 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Falls appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (70.2%), Black (21.5%), Two or More Races (4.3%). 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 Falls (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 Falls mean?
Likely referring to someone living near a waterfall or a place with steep, hilly terrain. 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 Falls (2.47 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 Americans have the surname Falls?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.