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

Fannin, 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 Fannin surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Fannin in America

Fannin is the 5092nd most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Fannin surname appeared 6,873 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 Fannin.

We can also compare 2010 data for Fannin 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 Fannin

The surname Fannin is of Anglo-Saxon origin and is believed to have derived from the Old English word "fana" or "fana-mann," which means "banner bearer" or "standard bearer." This suggests that the name was likely first given as a descriptive nickname to someone who carried the banner or standard during battles or military campaigns.

The earliest recorded instances of the Fannin surname can be traced back to the 13th century in England. One of the earliest known records is found in the Hundred Rolls of Cambridgeshire in 1273, where a person named William Fanun is mentioned. Another early reference is in the Subsidy Rolls of Sussex from 1296, which lists a John Faunum.

In the 14th century, the surname appeared in various spellings, such as Fanun, Faunun, and Fannun, reflecting the phonetic variations common during that period. For instance, the Feet of Fines for Essex in 1310 mentions a Robert Fanun, while the Subsidy Rolls of Yorkshire from 1379 list a John Fawnoun.

One notable individual bearing the Fannin surname was Thomas Fannin, a 16th-century English composer and organist who was born around 1530 and died in 1601. He served as the organist at St. Giles' Church in Cripplegate, London, and is known for his contributions to the English Renaissance music tradition.

Another significant figure was James Fannin, an American military commander who lived from 1804 to 1836. He led the ill-fated Fannin's Battle during the Texas Revolution, where his entire command of nearly 500 men was massacred by Mexican forces after surrendering at Goliad, Texas.

In the 19th century, Robert Fannin (1804-1888) was a prominent Irish-American politician and lawyer who served as a member of the United States House of Representatives from North Carolina from 1851 to 1853.

Samantha Fannin (1888-1968) was a British novelist and short story writer known for her works exploring the experiences of women in early 20th-century England. Her novels include "The Flowering Reed" (1919) and "The Green Path" (1923).

Joseph Fannin (1921-2004) was an American actor and stuntman who appeared in numerous Western films and television shows throughout the 1950s and 1960s, often portraying cowboys or Native American characters.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Fannin

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

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

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

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