2000
#5,461
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,858
First available Census row
Per 100,000 2.17
Rare Last name
Fancher
A French occupational surname for a scythe maker or mower, derived from Old French "fauche" meaning "scythe."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 6,343 Americans carry the last name Fancher. That puts it at #5,992 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.85 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 54,037 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Fancher 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
6.3K
1 in 54,037
Census rank
#5,992
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.9
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
5.5K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 5,531 bearers of the surname Fancher in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.85 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 5992nd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Fancher, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.5%. The next largest groups are Black (5.4%) and Two or More Races (3.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of 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.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Fancher
Among Census respondents with the surname Fancher, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.5%. The next largest groups are Black (5.4%) and Two or More Races (3.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Fancher 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 Fancher surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White87.5% · 4,841
- Black or African American5.4% · 297
- Two or more races3.9% · 214
- Hispanic or Latino2.3% · 127
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.5% · 28
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.4% · 24
Timeline
Historical Census data for Fancher
Fancher 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
#5,861
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,888
+30 bearers (+0.5%)
Per 100,000 2.00
Rank movement Down 400 places
2020
#5,992
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,531
-357 bearers (-6.1%)
Per 100,000 1.85
Rank movement Down 131 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #5,461 | 5,858 | 2.17 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #5,861 | 5,888 | 2.00 | +30 bearers (+0.5%) | Down 400 places |
| 2020 | #5,992 | 5,531 | 1.85 | -357 bearers (-6.1%) | Down 131 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 Fancher 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 | #5,861 | #5,992 | -2.2% |
| Count | 5,888 | 5,531 | -6.1% |
| Per 100K | 2.00 | 1.85 | -7.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Fancher bearers went from 5,888 to 5,531 (-6.1% change). The surname moved down 131 positions in the national ranking, going from #5,861 to #5,992.
FAQ
Fancher surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Fancher?
Name Census estimates that about 6,343 living Americans carry the surname Fancher. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 54,037 residents.
How common is Fancher?
Fancher ranks #5,992 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.85 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 5,531 people with the surname Fancher. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (6,343), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.85 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.85 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 Fancher.
Has Fancher become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Fancher went from 5,888 recorded bearers to 5,531. That is a decrease of 357 (-6.1%). In the national ranking it fell from #5,861 to #5,992.
What does the Census say about the background of Fancher?
Among Census respondents with the surname Fancher, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.5%. The next largest groups are Black (5.4%) and Two or More Races (3.9%). 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 Fancher in the 2020 Census, accounting for 87.5% (4,841 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Fancher appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (87.5%), Black (5.4%), Two or More Races (3.9%). 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 Fancher (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 Fancher mean?
A French occupational surname for a scythe maker or mower, derived from Old French "fauche" meaning "scythe." 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 Fancher (1.85 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 have the last name Fancher?
For a quick modern take, check how many people have the last name Fancher on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org.