2000
#59,916
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 315
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.12
Very Rare Last name
Faloon
An Irish surname derived from the Gaelic surname Ó Falúin, possibly meaning "descended from a wanderer or adventurer".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 432 Americans carry the last name Faloon. That puts it at #58,182 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.13 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 793,413 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Faloon 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.
Bearers in the US
432
1 in 793,413
Census rank
#58,182
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
377
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 377 bearers of the surname Faloon in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.13 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 58182nd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Faloon, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.2%) and Two or More Races (2.4%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Faloon
The surname Faloon is believed to have originated in Ireland, possibly in the early medieval period. It is thought to be derived from the Irish Gaelic word "falchan," which means "poor little hawk" or "falcon-like." This suggests that the name may have originally been a descriptive nickname or a reference to a person's occupation or appearance.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the Faloon surname can be found in the Annals of Ulster, a medieval chronicle that documents events in Ireland from the 5th to the 16th centuries. The name appears in an entry from the year 1379, where it is spelled "Falchan."
In the 16th and 17th centuries, the surname was sometimes anglicized to the spelling "Fallon." This variant spelling can be found in various records and documents from that time period, including the Fiants of the Tudor Sovereigns and the Hearth Money Rolls.
The Faloon surname has been associated with several notable individuals throughout history. One of the earliest was Tadhg Faloon, a 16th-century Irish poet and chieftain who lived in County Westmeath. Another was Eoghan Faloon, a 17th-century soldier who fought for the Catholic Confederacy during the Irish Confederate Wars.
In the 18th century, a Faloon family settled in County Tipperary, where they were landowners and prominent members of the local community. One member of this family, John Faloon (1735-1810), was a successful businessman and landowner who served as a magistrate and high sheriff of the county.
The 19th century saw the emergence of several Faloons in various fields. James Faloon (1823-1876) was a prominent Irish-American journalist and editor who founded the Brooklyn Daily Eagle newspaper. Michael Faloon (1851-1929) was an Irish-born politician who served as a member of the New Zealand Parliament.
Another notable Faloon was William Faloon (1876-1950), a Scottish-born engineer and inventor who was responsible for developing the first practical process for the large-scale production of acetone, which was essential for the manufacture of explosives during World War I.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Faloon
Among Census respondents with the surname Faloon, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.2%) and Two or More Races (2.4%).
The bar chart below shows how Faloon 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 Faloon surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White92.3% · 348
- Hispanic or Latino3.2% · 12
- Two or more races2.4% · 9
- Black or African American1.1% · 4
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.1% · 4
Timeline
Historical Census data for Faloon
Faloon 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
#57,234
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 356
+41 bearers (+13.0%)
Per 100,000 0.12
Rank movement Up 2,682 places
2020
#58,182
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 377
+21 bearers (+5.9%)
Per 100,000 0.13
Rank movement Down 948 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #59,916 | 315 | 0.12 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #57,234 | 356 | 0.12 | +41 bearers (+13.0%) | Up 2,682 places |
| 2020 | #58,182 | 377 | 0.13 | +21 bearers (+5.9%) | Down 948 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 Faloon 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 | #57,234 | #58,182 | -1.7% |
| Count | 356 | 377 | 5.9% |
| Per 100K | 0.12 | 0.13 | 5.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Faloon bearers went from 356 to 377 (+5.9% change). The surname moved down 948 positions in the national ranking, going from #57,234 to #58,182.
FAQ
Faloon surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Faloon?
Name Census estimates that about 432 living Americans carry the surname Faloon. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 793,413 residents.
How common is Faloon?
Faloon ranks #58,182 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.13 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 377 people with the surname Faloon. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (432), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.13 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.13 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Faloon.
Has Faloon become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Faloon went from 356 recorded bearers to 377. That is an increase of 21 (+5.9%). In the national ranking it fell from #57,234 to #58,182.
What does the Census say about the background of Faloon?
Among Census respondents with the surname Faloon, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.2%) and Two or More Races (2.4%). 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 Faloon in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.3% (348 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Faloon appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (92.3%), Hispanic (3.2%), Two or More Races (2.4%). 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 Faloon (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 Faloon mean?
An Irish surname derived from the Gaelic surname Ó Falúin, possibly meaning "descended from a wanderer or adventurer". 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 Faloon (0.13 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 are called Faloon?
For a quick modern take, check how common the surname Faloon is on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org.