2000
#37,094
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 566
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.21
Very Rare Last name
Farnes
A surname derived from a place name, originally meaning "the ferns" or someone who lived near or by ferns.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 786 Americans carry the last name Farnes. That puts it at #35,388 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.23 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 436,074 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Farnes 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 Farnes with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
786
1 in 436,074
Census rank
#35,388
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.2
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
685
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 685 bearers of the surname Farnes in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.23 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 35388th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Farnes, the largest self-reported group is White at 86.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (9.3%) and Black (1.3%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Farnes
The surname Farnes is believed to have originated from the Old English words 'fearn' meaning fern and 'hyrst' meaning a wooded hill or ridge, suggesting that the earliest bearers of this name may have lived near a fern-covered ridge or hill. The name is thought to have first appeared in the county of Yorkshire, England, in the 11th century.
One of the earliest recorded mentions of the name Farnes can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, which was a comprehensive survey of landholdings and property values in England commissioned by William the Conqueror. The entry refers to a landowner named Farnehus, which is believed to be an early spelling variation of the surname.
During the 13th century, the name appeared in various forms such as Farnhous, Farnhus, and Farnehusse, reflecting the variation in spelling and pronunciation that was common in that era. One notable example is William de Farnehusse, who was recorded as a landowner in Yorkshire in 1273.
The surname Farnes is also linked to several place names in Yorkshire, such as Farnhill, Farnley, and Farnworth, which further reinforces its connection to the region and its potential origin from descriptive geographical features.
Throughout history, there have been several notable individuals bearing the surname Farnes. One example is John Farnes (1524-1592), an English clergyman and academic who served as the Vice-Chancellor of the University of Cambridge from 1583 to 1584.
Another prominent figure was Sir Thomas Farnes (1587-1651), an English politician who served as a Member of Parliament for Yorkshire during the reign of King Charles I. He played a significant role in the English Civil War and was a supporter of the Parliamentarian cause.
In the 18th century, William Farnes (1712-1779) was a notable English architect who designed several notable buildings, including the Bridewell Palace in London and the Custom House in King's Lynn.
More recently, Edward Farnes (1884-1956) was a British artist known for his landscape paintings, particularly those depicting scenes from the English countryside and coastal regions.
Finally, one cannot overlook the contribution of Sir George Farnes (1927-2015), a prominent British businessman and philanthropist who served as the Chairman of the John Lewis Partnership from 1976 to 1987, guiding the company through a period of significant growth and expansion.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Farnes
Among Census respondents with the surname Farnes, the largest self-reported group is White at 86.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (9.3%) and Black (1.3%).
The bar chart below shows how Farnes 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 Farnes surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White86.6% · 593
- Hispanic or Latino9.3% · 64
- Black or African American1.3% · 9
- Two or more races1.3% · 9
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9% · 6
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.6% · 4
Timeline
Historical Census data for Farnes
Farnes 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
#48,530
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 435
-131 bearers (-23.1%)
Per 100,000 0.15
Rank movement Down 11,436 places
2020
#35,388
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 685
+250 bearers (+57.5%)
Per 100,000 0.23
Rank movement Up 13,142 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #37,094 | 566 | 0.21 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #48,530 | 435 | 0.15 | -131 bearers (-23.1%) | Down 11,436 places |
| 2020 | #35,388 | 685 | 0.23 | +250 bearers (+57.5%) | Up 13,142 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 Farnes 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 | #48,530 | #35,388 | 27.1% |
| Count | 435 | 685 | 57.5% |
| Per 100K | 0.15 | 0.23 | 52.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Farnes bearers went from 435 to 685 (+57.5% change). The surname moved up 13,142 positions in the national ranking, going from #48,530 to #35,388.
FAQ
Farnes surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Farnes?
Name Census estimates that about 786 living Americans carry the surname Farnes. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 436,074 residents.
How common is Farnes?
Farnes ranks #35,388 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.23 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 685 people with the surname Farnes. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (786), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.23 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.23 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 Farnes.
Has Farnes become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Farnes went from 435 recorded bearers to 685. That is an increase of 250 (+57.5%). In the national ranking it rose from #48,530 to #35,388.
What does the Census say about the background of Farnes?
Among Census respondents with the surname Farnes, the largest self-reported group is White at 86.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (9.3%) and Black (1.3%). 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 Farnes in the 2020 Census, accounting for 86.6% (593 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Farnes appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (86.6%), Hispanic (9.3%), Black (1.3%). 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 Farnes (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 Farnes mean?
A surname derived from a place name, originally meaning "the ferns" or someone who lived near or by ferns. 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 Farnes (0.23 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 common is the surname Farnes?
Want to know how many people are called Farnes? HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, puts the living-bearer count front and centre.