2000
#14,491
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,887
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.70
Rare Last name
Fannon
An Irish surname derived from the Gaelic "Ó Fánáin" meaning "descendant of the wanderer".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,246 Americans carry the last name Fannon. That puts it at #14,600 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.66 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 152,607 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Fannon 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.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Fannon with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
2.2K
1 in 152,607
Census rank
#14,600
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.0K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 1,959 bearers of the surname Fannon in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.66 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 14600th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Fannon, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.0%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.2%) and Hispanic (3.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Fannon
The surname Fannon is of Irish origin and is believed to have derived from the Gaelic word "fánaideach," which means "a wanderer" or "a sojourner." This name is thought to have originated in the 16th century in the northern regions of Ireland, particularly in County Antrim and County Londonderry.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Fannon appears in the Hearth Money Rolls of 1663, which were tax records for households in Ireland. In these rolls, a family by the name of Fannon is listed as residing in the parish of Aghadowey, County Londonderry.
In the 18th century, the name Fannon was prevalent in the area around Lough Neagh, a freshwater lake situated between County Antrim and County Londonderry. It is possible that the name was associated with families who lived or worked near the lough.
The earliest known bearer of the name Fannon was Patrick Fannon, born in County Londonderry in the late 16th century. He is mentioned in historical records as a landowner and farmer in the area.
Another notable figure with the surname Fannon was John Fannon (1736-1811), an Irish-born merchant and landowner who emigrated to Virginia in the late 18th century. He became a prominent figure in the early American colonies and was involved in the Revolutionary War.
In the 19th century, the name Fannon gained some recognition with the birth of James Fannon (1832-1897), an Irish-born Catholic priest who served as the Bishop of Waterford and Lismore in Ireland.
The surname Fannon has also been associated with the place name Fannon, a small village in County Donegal, Ireland. It is possible that the name originated from this location or that families bearing the surname resided in this area.
Notable individuals with the surname Fannon include Michael Fannon (1858-1932), an Irish politician and member of the British Parliament, and Robert Fannon (1885-1959), an American baseball player who played for the Boston Red Sox in the early 20th century.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Fannon
Among Census respondents with the surname Fannon, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.0%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.2%) and Hispanic (3.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Fannon 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 Fannon surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White87.0% · 1,704
- Two or more races4.2% · 82
- Hispanic or Latino3.6% · 70
- Black or African American3.3% · 64
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.4% · 27
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.6% · 12
Timeline
Historical Census data for Fannon
Fannon 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
#16,195
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,783
-104 bearers (-5.5%)
Per 100,000 0.60
Rank movement Down 1,704 places
2020
#14,600
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,959
+176 bearers (+9.9%)
Per 100,000 0.66
Rank movement Up 1,595 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #14,491 | 1,887 | 0.70 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #16,195 | 1,783 | 0.60 | -104 bearers (-5.5%) | Down 1,704 places |
| 2020 | #14,600 | 1,959 | 0.66 | +176 bearers (+9.9%) | Up 1,595 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 Fannon 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 | #16,195 | #14,600 | 9.8% |
| Count | 1,783 | 1,959 | 9.9% |
| Per 100K | 0.60 | 0.66 | 9.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Fannon bearers went from 1,783 to 1,959 (+9.9% change). The surname moved up 1,595 positions in the national ranking, going from #16,195 to #14,600.
FAQ
Fannon surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Fannon?
Name Census estimates that about 2,246 living Americans carry the surname Fannon. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 152,607 residents.
How common is Fannon?
Fannon ranks #14,600 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.66 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 1,959 people with the surname Fannon. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,246), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.66 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.66 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Fannon.
Has Fannon become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Fannon went from 1,783 recorded bearers to 1,959. That is an increase of 176 (+9.9%). In the national ranking it rose from #16,195 to #14,600.
What does the Census say about the background of Fannon?
Among Census respondents with the surname Fannon, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.0%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.2%) and Hispanic (3.6%). 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 Fannon in the 2020 Census, accounting for 87.0% (1,704 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Fannon appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (87.0%), Two or More Races (4.2%), Hispanic (3.6%). 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 Fannon (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 Fannon mean?
An Irish surname derived from the Gaelic "Ó Fánáin" meaning "descendant of the wanderer". 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 Fannon (0.66 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 share the surname Fannon?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.