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

Fancher, 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 Fancher surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Fancher in America

Fancher is the 5861st most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Fancher surname appeared 5,888 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 2 people would have the surname Fancher.

We can also compare 2010 data for Fancher 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 Fancher

The surname Fancher has its origins in France and dates back to the late medieval period. It is believed to have derived from the Old French word "fancheur," which means "one who wields a fanchet," a tool used for cutting grass or crops. This suggests that the name may have originally been an occupational surname for someone who worked as a mower or harvester.

The earliest known record of the name Fancher appears in the Domesday Book of 1086, where it was spelled as "Faunchier." This indicates that the name was already established in Normandy and other parts of northern France before the Norman Conquest of England in 1066.

In the 13th century, there are several mentions of individuals with the surname Fancher or variations like Fauncher and Fanchier in various records from the Picardy region of northern France. One notable example is Jehan Fanchier, who was a landowner and merchant in the town of Amiens in the late 1200s.

As the name spread across Europe, different spellings and variations emerged, such as Fancher, Fanchier, and Faucher. In England, the surname was sometimes anglicized to Fanshaw or Fanshawe, possibly due to its similarity in pronunciation.

One of the earliest known bearers of the name in England was Sir Thomas Fanshawe (c. 1450-1510), who served as a Member of Parliament and held various positions in the court of King Henry VII. Another notable figure was Sir Henry Fanshawe (1569-1616), a diplomat and translator who served as the English ambassador to Spain.

In the United States, the name Fancher can be traced back to the 17th century, when French Huguenot immigrants arrived in New England and other colonies. One of the earliest recorded instances is Jean Fancher, who settled in New York in the late 1600s.

Other notable figures with the surname Fancher include:

1. Daniel Fancher (1767-1846), an American soldier who fought in the Revolutionary War and the War of 1812.
2. Tobias Fancher (1794-1871), an American politician who served as a member of the New York State Assembly.
3. John Fancher (1816-1897), a pioneer and rancher who established one of the first settlements in what is now San Diego County, California.
4. Eli Fancher (1827-1906), a Union Army soldier during the American Civil War and later a prominent businessman in Ohio.
5. Alice Fancher (1857-1944), an American artist and painter known for her portraits and landscapes.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Fancher

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

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

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

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