2000
#14,195
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,941
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.72
Rare Last name
Farner
An occupational surname for a person who worked or lived on a fern-covered hill or near a fern-filled area.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,152 Americans carry the last name Farner. That puts it at #15,091 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.63 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 159,272 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Farner 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 Farner with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
2.2K
1 in 159,272
Census rank
#15,091
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.6
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
1.9K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 1,877 bearers of the surname Farner in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.63 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 15091st position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Farner, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.9%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.7%) and Black (2.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Farner
The surname Farner has its origins in Germany, and it can be traced back to the Middle Ages, around the 13th century. The name is believed to be derived from the Old German word "farn," which means "to travel" or "to wander." This suggests that the name may have been given to someone who traveled frequently or had a nomadic lifestyle.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Farner can be found in the Biberach Codex, a medieval manuscript from the 14th century that contains legal documents and records from the region of Swabia in southern Germany. In this document, the name is spelled as "Farner."
During the late Middle Ages and the Renaissance period, the name Farner began to appear in various records and documents across different parts of Germany. One notable example is Johannes Farner (1480-1542), a German theologian and reformer who played a significant role in the Protestant Reformation.
As the name spread across different regions, various spellings emerged, such as Fahrner and Färner. Some of these variations may have been influenced by local dialects or the way the name was pronounced in different areas.
In the 17th and 18th centuries, the name Farner can be found in several historical records, including parish registers and census records from various German states. One notable individual from this period is Johann Michael Farner (1686-1767), a German painter and engraver known for his religious artworks.
Another notable figure with the surname Farner was Friedrich Farner (1787-1853), a German writer and poet from the city of Nuremberg. He is best known for his collection of poems titled "Gedichte" (Poems), published in 1828.
As the name Farner spread throughout the German-speaking regions of Europe, it also found its way to other parts of the world through migration and immigration. For example, in the 19th century, there were several individuals with the surname Farner who settled in the United States and other countries.
One such individual was Karl Farner (1826-1902), a German-American inventor and engineer who is credited with developing the first practical rotary printing press, which revolutionized the printing industry.
Despite its German origins, the surname Farner has been found in various other countries, likely due to immigration and intermarriage. However, its roots can be traced back to the medieval German regions, where it first emerged as a name associated with travel or wandering.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Farner
Among Census respondents with the surname Farner, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.9%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.7%) and Black (2.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Farner 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 Farner surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White89.9% · 1,687
- Two or more races3.7% · 70
- Black or African American2.8% · 52
- Hispanic or Latino2.7% · 50
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.5% · 10
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.4% · 8
Timeline
Historical Census data for Farner
Farner 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
#11,746
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,667
+726 bearers (+37.4%)
Per 100,000 0.90
Rank movement Up 2,449 places
2020
#15,091
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,877
-790 bearers (-29.6%)
Per 100,000 0.63
Rank movement Down 3,345 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #14,195 | 1,941 | 0.72 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #11,746 | 2,667 | 0.90 | +726 bearers (+37.4%) | Up 2,449 places |
| 2020 | #15,091 | 1,877 | 0.63 | -790 bearers (-29.6%) | Down 3,345 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 Farner 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 | #11,746 | #15,091 | -28.5% |
| Count | 2,667 | 1,877 | -29.6% |
| Per 100K | 0.90 | 0.63 | -30.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Farner bearers went from 2,667 to 1,877 (-29.6% change). The surname moved down 3,345 positions in the national ranking, going from #11,746 to #15,091.
FAQ
Farner surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Farner?
Name Census estimates that about 2,152 living Americans carry the surname Farner. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 159,272 residents.
How common is Farner?
Farner ranks #15,091 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.63 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 1,877 people with the surname Farner. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,152), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.63 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.63 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 Farner.
Has Farner become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Farner went from 2,667 recorded bearers to 1,877. That is a decrease of 790 (-29.6%). In the national ranking it fell from #11,746 to #15,091.
What does the Census say about the background of Farner?
Among Census respondents with the surname Farner, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.9%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.7%) and Black (2.8%). 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 Farner in the 2020 Census, accounting for 89.9% (1,687 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Farner appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (89.9%), Two or More Races (3.7%), Black (2.8%). 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 Farner (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 Farner mean?
An occupational surname for a person who worked or lived on a fern-covered hill or near a fern-filled area. 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 Farner (0.63 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 Americans have the surname Farner?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.