2000
#126,400
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 125
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.05
Very Rare Last name
Farlough
A Gaelic surname derived from a placename meaning "green field."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 133 Americans carry the last name Farlough. That puts it at #145,028 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,577,100 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Farlough 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
133
1 in 2,577,100
Census rank
#145,028
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
116
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 116 bearers of the surname Farlough in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 145028th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Farlough, the largest self-reported group is Black at 93.1%. The next largest groups are White (2.6%) and Two or More Races (2.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Farlough
The surname Farlough is of Scottish origin and dates back to the 12th century. It is believed to have originated in the region of Dumfriesshire, near the border with England. The name is thought to be derived from the Gaelic words "fear" meaning "man" and "loch" meaning "lake" or "body of water."
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name is found in the Ragman Rolls of 1296, a collection of written indentures and ragman rolls recording the sworn fealty of Scottish nobles to Edward I of England. In these rolls, the name appears as "Farloch" and is associated with a landowner in the area of Dumfriesshire.
The Farlough name is also mentioned in several historical documents from the 14th and 15th centuries, including the Exchequer Rolls of Scotland and the Register of the Great Seal of Scotland. These records indicate that the Farloughs were a prominent family in the Scottish Borders region during this time period.
One notable individual with the Farlough surname was Sir William Farlough, who lived in the late 15th century and served as a member of the Scottish Parliament. Another was John Farlough, born in 1560, who was a renowned scholar and author of several works on Scottish history and culture.
In the 17th century, the Farlough name can be found in parish records from the town of Annan in Dumfriesshire, indicating that the family had settled in this area. One notable individual from this time period was Robert Farlough, born in 1632, who was a successful merchant and landowner in Annan.
Another notable Farlough was Andrew Farlough, born in 1745, who served as a captain in the British Army during the American Revolutionary War. He was captured by the Continental Army at the Battle of Saratoga in 1777 and held as a prisoner of war until the end of the conflict.
Over time, the spelling of the name has evolved, with variations such as Farloch, Farlow, and Farlogh appearing in various records. However, the Farlough spelling has remained the most common form throughout the centuries.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Farlough
Among Census respondents with the surname Farlough, the largest self-reported group is Black at 93.1%. The next largest groups are White (2.6%) and Two or More Races (2.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Farlough 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 Farlough surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Black or African American93.1% · 108
- White2.6% · 3
- Two or more races2.6% · 3
- Hispanic or Latino1.7% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Farlough
Farlough 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
#118,185
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 147
+22 bearers (+17.6%)
Per 100,000 0.05
Rank movement Up 8,215 places
2020
#145,028
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 116
-31 bearers (-21.1%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 26,843 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #126,400 | 125 | 0.05 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #118,185 | 147 | 0.05 | +22 bearers (+17.6%) | Up 8,215 places |
| 2020 | #145,028 | 116 | 0.04 | -31 bearers (-21.1%) | Down 26,843 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 Farlough 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 | #118,185 | #145,028 | -22.7% |
| Count | 147 | 116 | -21.1% |
| Per 100K | 0.05 | 0.04 | -22.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Farlough bearers went from 147 to 116 (-21.1% change). The surname moved down 26,843 positions in the national ranking, going from #118,185 to #145,028.
FAQ
Farlough surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Farlough?
Name Census estimates that about 133 living Americans carry the surname Farlough. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,577,100 residents.
How common is Farlough?
Farlough ranks #145,028 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 116 people with the surname Farlough. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (133), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.04 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Farlough.
Has Farlough become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Farlough went from 147 recorded bearers to 116. That is a decrease of 31 (-21.1%). In the national ranking it fell from #118,185 to #145,028.
What does the Census say about the background of Farlough?
Among Census respondents with the surname Farlough, the largest self-reported group is Black at 93.1%. The next largest groups are White (2.6%) and Two or More Races (2.6%). 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?
Black is the largest self-reported group for the surname Farlough in the 2020 Census, accounting for 93.1% (108 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Farlough appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Black (93.1%), White (2.6%), Two or More Races (2.6%). 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 Farlough (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 Farlough mean?
A Gaelic surname derived from a placename meaning "green field." 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 Farlough (0.04 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 Americans have the surname Farlough?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.