2000
#10,719
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,734
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.01
Rare Last name
Farfan
A Spanish habitational surname referring to someone from any of various places named Farfán, derived from Arabic farfar, meaning "abounding in water."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 4,413 Americans carry the last name Farfan. That puts it at #8,250 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.29 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 77,669 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Farfan 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.
Bearers in the US
4.4K
1 in 77,669
Census rank
#8,250
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.3
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
3.8K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 3,848 bearers of the surname Farfan in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.29 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 8250th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Farfan, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 92.5%. The next largest groups are White (5.0%) and Black (1.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Farfan
The surname Farfan has its origins in Spain, dating back to the medieval period. It is a locational name derived from the village of Farfan, located in the province of Badajoz, in the region of Extremadura. The name is believed to have evolved from the Arabic word "farfana," which means "butterfly" or "moth."
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Farfan can be found in the "Libro de la Behetría" (Book of Behetría), a 13th-century document that lists the names of landowners and their properties in the Kingdom of Castile. This document includes references to individuals bearing the surname Farfan, suggesting that the name was already established in the region during that time.
In the 15th century, the name Farfan gained prominence with the rise of a noble family from the village of Farfan. One notable member of this family was Juan Farfan de los Godos (c. 1450-1520), a Spanish soldier and explorer who participated in the conquest of the Canary Islands and later settled in the West Indies.
Another historical figure associated with the surname Farfan is Pedro Farfan de los Godos (c. 1475-1548), a Spanish conquistador and explorer who played a significant role in the conquest of Peru alongside Francisco Pizarro. He was granted extensive lands and titles by the Spanish Crown for his contributions.
In the 16th century, the Farfan family expanded their influence to the Americas, with members settling in various Spanish colonies. One notable individual was Juan Farfan de los Godos (c. 1520-1592), a Spanish conquistador and explorer who participated in the conquest of Chile and later served as the governor of Tucumán (present-day Argentina) from 1573 to 1577.
Another noteworthy figure was Diego Farfan de los Godos (c. 1540-1615), a Spanish soldier and administrator who served as the governor of Cartagena de Indias (present-day Colombia) from 1604 to 1609.
As the Farfan family grew and dispersed across Spain and its colonies, variations in the spelling of the name emerged, including Farfante, Farfan de los Godos, and Farfante de los Godos. These variations often reflected regional linguistic differences or the adoption of additional surnames to denote family lineage or territorial holdings.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Farfan
Among Census respondents with the surname Farfan, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 92.5%. The next largest groups are White (5.0%) and Black (1.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Farfan 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 Farfan surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Hispanic or Latino92.5% · 3,559
- White5.0% · 194
- Black or African American1.0% · 37
- Two or more races0.7% · 28
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 27
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.1% · 3
Timeline
Historical Census data for Farfan
Farfan 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
#8,135
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,075
+1,341 bearers (+49.0%)
Per 100,000 1.38
Rank movement Up 2,584 places
2020
#8,250
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,848
-227 bearers (-5.6%)
Per 100,000 1.29
Rank movement Down 115 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #10,719 | 2,734 | 1.01 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #8,135 | 4,075 | 1.38 | +1,341 bearers (+49.0%) | Up 2,584 places |
| 2020 | #8,250 | 3,848 | 1.29 | -227 bearers (-5.6%) | Down 115 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 Farfan 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 | #8,135 | #8,250 | -1.4% |
| Count | 4,075 | 3,848 | -5.6% |
| Per 100K | 1.38 | 1.29 | -6.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Farfan bearers went from 4,075 to 3,848 (-5.6% change). The surname moved down 115 positions in the national ranking, going from #8,135 to #8,250.
FAQ
Farfan surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Farfan?
Name Census estimates that about 4,413 living Americans carry the surname Farfan. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 77,669 residents.
How common is Farfan?
Farfan ranks #8,250 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.29 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 3,848 people with the surname Farfan. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (4,413), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.29 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.29 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 Farfan.
Has Farfan become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Farfan went from 4,075 recorded bearers to 3,848. That is a decrease of 227 (-5.6%). In the national ranking it fell from #8,135 to #8,250.
What does the Census say about the background of Farfan?
Among Census respondents with the surname Farfan, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 92.5%. The next largest groups are White (5.0%) and Black (1.0%). 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?
Hispanic is the largest self-reported group for the surname Farfan in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.5% (3,559 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Farfan appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Hispanic (92.5%), White (5.0%), Black (1.0%). 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 Farfan (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 Farfan mean?
A Spanish habitational surname referring to someone from any of various places named Farfán, derived from Arabic farfar, meaning "abounding in water." 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 Farfan (1.29 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 Farfan?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.