2000
#5,939
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,335
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.98
Rare Last name
Faria
A Portuguese toponymic surname referring to someone who came from any of various places named Faria.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 6,658 Americans carry the last name Faria. That puts it at #5,748 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.94 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 51,480 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Faria 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 Faria with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
6.7K
1 in 51,480
Census rank
#5,748
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.9
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
5.8K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 5,806 bearers of the surname Faria in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.94 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 5748th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Faria, the largest self-reported group is White at 74.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (16.7%) and Two or More Races (3.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Faria
The surname Faria is of Portuguese origin and has its roots in the Iberian Peninsula. It is believed to have emerged during the medieval period, possibly derived from the Latin word "fara," which means a group or family. This surname may have been initially used to identify individuals associated with a particular family, clan, or lineage.
In Portugal, the name Faria can be traced back to the 12th century, with records indicating its presence in various regions, including the northern provinces of Minho and Trás-os-Montes. It was also prevalent in the central region of Beira and the southern regions of Alentejo and Algarve.
One of the earliest known historical references to the name Faria can be found in the "Livro Velho de Linhagens" (Old Book of Lineages), a Portuguese genealogical record dating back to the 13th century. This document mentions several individuals bearing the surname Faria, indicating its establishment during that time.
The name Faria has also been linked to various place names in Portugal, such as Faria, a parish in the municipality of Barcelos, and Faria, a civil parish in the municipality of Castelo de Paiva. These place names may have influenced the surname's origin or contributed to its spread across different regions.
Among the notable historical figures with the surname Faria are:
1. Pedro Faria e Sousa (1580-1644), a Portuguese nobleman and military commander who played a significant role in the Portuguese Restoration War against Spain.
2. Manuel Severim de Faria (1583-1655), a Portuguese historian and writer who authored several works on Portuguese history and genealogy.
3. Bartolomeu Faria (1610-1668), a Portuguese Jesuit missionary and explorer who traveled extensively in South America and wrote accounts of his journeys.
4. Francisco Leite de Faria (1695-1748), a Portuguese architect and engineer known for his contributions to the reconstruction of Lisbon after the devastating earthquake of 1755.
5. Francisco de Faria e Maia (1680-1756), a Portuguese jurist and academic who served as the rector of the University of Coimbra.
Over the centuries, the surname Faria has spread beyond Portugal to other parts of the world, particularly to former Portuguese colonies and territories where Portuguese settlers and immigrants established roots.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Faria
Among Census respondents with the surname Faria, the largest self-reported group is White at 74.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (16.7%) and Two or More Races (3.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Faria 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 Faria surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White74.0% · 4,295
- Hispanic or Latino16.7% · 968
- Two or more races3.6% · 207
- Black or African American2.8% · 165
- Asian and Pacific Islander2.8% · 162
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 9
Timeline
Historical Census data for Faria
Faria 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
#5,557
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 6,257
+922 bearers (+17.3%)
Per 100,000 2.12
Rank movement Up 382 places
2020
#5,748
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,806
-451 bearers (-7.2%)
Per 100,000 1.94
Rank movement Down 191 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #5,939 | 5,335 | 1.98 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #5,557 | 6,257 | 2.12 | +922 bearers (+17.3%) | Up 382 places |
| 2020 | #5,748 | 5,806 | 1.94 | -451 bearers (-7.2%) | Down 191 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 Faria 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 | #5,557 | #5,748 | -3.4% |
| Count | 6,257 | 5,806 | -7.2% |
| Per 100K | 2.12 | 1.94 | -8.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Faria bearers went from 6,257 to 5,806 (-7.2% change). The surname moved down 191 positions in the national ranking, going from #5,557 to #5,748.
FAQ
Faria surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Faria?
Name Census estimates that about 6,658 living Americans carry the surname Faria. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 51,480 residents.
How common is Faria?
Faria ranks #5,748 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.94 per 100,000 residents, which is about 2 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 5,806 people with the surname Faria. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (6,658), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.94 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.94 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 2 of them to have the surname Faria.
Has Faria become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Faria went from 6,257 recorded bearers to 5,806. That is a decrease of 451 (-7.2%). In the national ranking it fell from #5,557 to #5,748.
What does the Census say about the background of Faria?
Among Census respondents with the surname Faria, the largest self-reported group is White at 74.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (16.7%) and Two or More Races (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 Faria in the 2020 Census, accounting for 74.0% (4,295 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Faria appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (74.0%), Hispanic (16.7%), Two or More Races (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 Faria (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 Faria mean?
A Portuguese toponymic surname referring to someone who came from any of various places named Faria. 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 Faria (1.94 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 last name Faria?
Our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers how many Americans have the surname Faria at a glance, with the living-bearer count up front.