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

Fant, 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 Fant surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Fant in America

Fant is the 8055th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Fant surname appeared 4,111 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 1 people would have the surname Fant.

We can also compare 2010 data for Fant 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 Fant

The surname FANT is believed to have originated in England during the medieval period. It is thought to be derived from the Old English word "fant," which means "infant" or "child." This suggests that the name may have been originally given as a nickname to someone who was small or youthful in appearance.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name FANT can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, which was a survey of land and landholders commissioned by William the Conqueror after the Norman Conquest of England. In this document, the name appears as "Fante," likely referring to an individual or family residing in one of the areas surveyed.

During the 13th and 14th centuries, various spellings of the name began to emerge, such as "Faunte" and "Faunt." These variations were often influenced by regional dialects and the interpretations of scribes who recorded the name.

In the 16th century, the FANT surname was particularly prevalent in the county of Gloucestershire, where it was associated with several prominent families. One notable figure from this era was John Fant (c. 1550-1616), a Catholic priest and author who wrote a history of the county.

Another individual of note was Sir Francis Fant (1592-1674), an English politician and lawyer who served as a member of parliament and held the position of Recorder of Gloucester. He was also involved in the establishment of the Gloucestershire County Library.

In the 18th century, the surname FANT appeared in various parts of England, including Yorkshire and Lincolnshire. One notable bearer of the name was William Fant (1724-1799), an English clergyman and antiquarian who wrote extensively on the history and antiquities of Oxfordshire.

Moving into the 19th century, the FANT surname continued to be found throughout England, with some families also settling in other parts of the British Isles. A notable figure from this period was George Henry Fant (1844-1913), a British architect who designed several notable buildings, including the Royal School of Art in London.

While the FANT surname has its roots in England, it has since spread to other parts of the world, including North America and Australia, due to immigration and family migrations over the centuries.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Fant

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

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

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

Reference this page

We spend a lot of resources downloading, cleaning, merging, and formatting the data that is shown on the site.

If you found the data or information on this page useful in your research, please use the tool below to properly cite or reference Name Census as the source. We appreciate your support!