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

Famous, 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 Famous surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Famous in America

Famous is the 76533rd most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Famous surname appeared 251 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 people would have the surname Famous.

We can also compare 2010 data for Famous 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 Famous

The surname Famous is of English origin, with roots dating back to the late 16th century. It is believed to have derived from the Middle English word "famous," which means "renowned" or "celebrated." This surname was likely bestowed upon individuals who had achieved a certain level of fame or notoriety during their lifetime.

The earliest known record of the surname Famous can be found in the parish registers of St. Mary's Church in Bury St. Edmunds, Suffolk, England, where a certain John Famous was recorded in 1592. It is also worth noting that the similar spelling "Fameuse" was used in some parts of England during the same period.

In the 17th century, the surname Famous appears in various historical documents, including the Protestation Returns of 1641-1642, which recorded the names of adult males who pledged their allegiance to the Protestant religion in England. One such individual was Thomas Famous, a resident of Wiltshire.

The name Famous is also associated with several notable figures throughout history. One of the earliest examples is Sir John Famous (c. 1570-1635), an English politician and landowner who served as a Member of Parliament for Colchester in the early 17th century.

Another prominent individual with the surname Famous was William Famous (1685-1758), an English clergyman and author who published several religious works, including "The Harmony of the Gospels" in 1724.

In the 19th century, the surname Famous gained recognition through the accomplishments of Mary Famous (1821-1897), an English author and poet who wrote under the pseudonym "Violet Fane." Her most notable work was the novel "Through the Iron Gate" published in 1889.

One cannot overlook the contributions of James Famous (1843-1912), a British explorer and naturalist who extensively studied the flora and fauna of the Himalayas and authored several books, including "The Himalayan Journals" (1890).

Lastly, a notable figure in the 20th century was Sir George Famous (1905-1982), a British diplomat who served as the Ambassador to France from 1960 to 1965 and played a crucial role in strengthening diplomatic relations between the two countries.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Famous

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

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

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

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