2000
#7,792
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,934
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.46
Rare Last name
Farah
A Arabic surname referring to joy, cheerfulness, and merriment.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 9,021 Americans carry the last name Farah. That puts it at #4,357 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 2.63 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 37,995 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Farah 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 Farah with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
9.0K
1 in 37,995
Census rank
#4,357
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
2.6
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
7.9K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 7,867 bearers of the surname Farah in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 2.63 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 4357th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Farah, the largest self-reported group is Black at 57.3%. The next largest groups are White (34.9%) and Hispanic (4.4%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Farah
The surname Farah is believed to have its origins in the Arabic language and is particularly prevalent in the Middle East and North Africa. It is derived from the Arabic word "farah," which means joy, happiness, or delight. The name's roots can be traced back to the 7th century, during the rise of Islam and the expansion of the Arab Empire.
One of the earliest documented instances of the name Farah can be found in the Al-Muqaddasi's book "Ahsan al-Taqasim fi Ma'rifat al-Aqalim" (The Best Divisions for Knowledge of the Regions), written in the 10th century. This work mentions a town called "Farah" in present-day Afghanistan, suggesting that the name may have originated in that region.
During the medieval period, the name Farah appeared in various historical records and manuscripts, particularly in regions under Islamic rule. For instance, in the 12th century, a scholar named Abu'l-Farah al-Isfahani authored a book titled "Kitab al-Aghani" (The Book of Songs), which is considered a significant contribution to Arabic literature and music.
One of the earliest known bearers of the surname Farah was Muhammad ibn Farah al-Qurtubi, a renowned Islamic scholar and jurist from Cordoba, Spain, who lived in the 12th century. Another notable figure was Abu al-Farah al-Isfahani, a Persian poet and literary critic who lived in the 10th century and was renowned for his work on Arabic poetry and literature.
In the 13th century, a place called "Farah" was mentioned in the writings of the Persian historian Rashid al-Din, indicating that the name may have been derived from a geographic location or settlement. Additionally, during the Ottoman Empire, there were several individuals with the surname Farah who held prominent positions, such as Mehmed Farah Pasha, a 17th-century Ottoman statesman and military commander.
Other notable individuals with the surname Farah include:
1. Ismail Farah (1900-1965), an Egyptian playwright and novelist known for his works that explored social and political issues.
2. Abdisalam Issa-Salwe Farah (1919-2018), a Somali historian, writer, and politician who served as the first president of the Somali National University.
3. Nuruddin Farah (born 1945), a renowned Somali novelist and writer, widely regarded as one of the most influential contemporary African authors.
4. Mo Farah (born 1983), a British long-distance runner and one of the most successful track and field athletes of all time, winning multiple Olympic and World Championship gold medals.
5. Ahmed Farah (born 1978), a Djiboutian middle-distance runner who represented his country in several international competitions, including the Olympic Games.
While the surname Farah has its roots in the Arabic language and culture, it has since spread to various parts of the world due to migration and diaspora communities, making it a surname found in diverse regions and cultures.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Farah
Among Census respondents with the surname Farah, the largest self-reported group is Black at 57.3%. The next largest groups are White (34.9%) and Hispanic (4.4%).
The bar chart below shows how Farah 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 Farah surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Black or African American57.3% · 4,510
- White34.9% · 2,742
- Hispanic or Latino4.4% · 347
- Two or more races2.0% · 160
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.2% · 96
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 12
Timeline
Historical Census data for Farah
Farah 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
#5,203
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 6,718
+2,784 bearers (+70.8%)
Per 100,000 2.28
Rank movement Up 2,589 places
2020
#4,357
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 7,867
+1,149 bearers (+17.1%)
Per 100,000 2.63
Rank movement Up 846 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #7,792 | 3,934 | 1.46 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #5,203 | 6,718 | 2.28 | +2,784 bearers (+70.8%) | Up 2,589 places |
| 2020 | #4,357 | 7,867 | 2.63 | +1,149 bearers (+17.1%) | Up 846 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 Farah 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 | #5,203 | #4,357 | 16.3% |
| Count | 6,718 | 7,867 | 17.1% |
| Per 100K | 2.28 | 2.63 | 15.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Farah bearers went from 6,718 to 7,867 (+17.1% change). The surname moved up 846 positions in the national ranking, going from #5,203 to #4,357.
FAQ
Farah surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Farah?
Name Census estimates that about 9,021 living Americans carry the surname Farah. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 37,995 residents.
How common is Farah?
Farah ranks #4,357 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 2.63 per 100,000 residents, which is about 3 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 7,867 people with the surname Farah. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (9,021), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 2.63 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 2.63 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 3 of them to have the surname Farah.
Has Farah become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Farah went from 6,718 recorded bearers to 7,867. That is an increase of 1,149 (+17.1%). In the national ranking it rose from #5,203 to #4,357.
What does the Census say about the background of Farah?
Among Census respondents with the surname Farah, the largest self-reported group is Black at 57.3%. The next largest groups are White (34.9%) and Hispanic (4.4%). 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?
Black is the largest self-reported group for the surname Farah in the 2020 Census, accounting for 57.3% (4,510 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Farah appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Black (57.3%), White (34.9%), Hispanic (4.4%). 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 Farah (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 Farah mean?
A Arabic surname referring to joy, cheerfulness, and merriment. 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 Farah (2.63 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 surname Farah?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.