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

Fanny, 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 Fanny surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Fanny in America

Fanny is the 106570th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Fanny surname appeared 167 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 Fanny.

We can also compare 2010 data for Fanny 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 Fanny

The surname Fanny originated in England, derived from the medieval French word "enfant" meaning "child" or "servant." It emerged as a nickname for a young boy during the Middle Ages, often used to refer to a member of a noble household's staff.

In the 13th century, records show the name appearing as "le Enfaunt" in various parts of England, particularly in the counties of Norfolk and Suffolk. By the 14th century, the spelling had evolved to "Faunte" and "Faunte," and it was later condensed to "Fanny" in the 16th century.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname Fanny can be found in the Huntingdonshire Subsidy Rolls of 1273, which mentions a "William le Enfaunt." The name also appears in the Lay Subsidy Rolls of 1332 in Norfolk, with a reference to a "John Faunte."

The Domesday Book, a comprehensive survey of landowners and tenants in England commissioned by William the Conqueror in 1086, does not contain any direct mentions of the surname Fanny or its earlier variations. However, it does record several individuals with the given name "Enfant," suggesting the potential for the surname to have emerged from these instances.

Notable individuals who bore the surname Fanny throughout history include:

1. Sir Nathaniel Fanny (c. 1590-1644), an English politician and member of Parliament during the reign of King Charles I.
2. Robert Fanny (1675-1733), an English architect known for his work on several churches and country houses in the Baroque style.
3. Elizabeth Fanny (1785-1859), a British writer and poet who published several collections of verse and children's stories.
4. John Fanny (1801-1867), a Scottish botanist and explorer who conducted extensive research on the flora of South America.
5. William Fanny (1832-1914), an English industrialist and philanthropist who founded the Fanny Foundation, which supported educational and charitable causes.

The surname Fanny has also been associated with various place names in England, such as Fanny's Green in Hampshire and Fanny's Croft in Northamptonshire, likely derived from individuals who lived or owned land in those areas.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Fanny

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

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

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

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