2000
#10,956
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,664
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.99
Rare Last name
Farquhar
Derived from the Gaelic "fearchar," meaning "dear one" or "beloved man," originally a first name that became hereditary.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,949 Americans carry the last name Farquhar. That puts it at #11,668 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.86 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 116,227 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Farquhar 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 Farquhar with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
2.9K
1 in 116,227
Census rank
#11,668
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.9
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.6K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,572 bearers of the surname Farquhar in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.86 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 11668th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Farquhar, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.8%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.7%) and Black (3.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Farquhar
The surname Farquhar has its origins in the Gaelic language, originally stemming from the Scottish Highlands. It is derived from the Gaelic words "fear" meaning "man" and "cuaire" meaning "pail or vessel". Together, the words transliterate to "man of the pail" or "brewer".
This surname first appeared in historical records around the 13th century, with a mention of a John Ferchor in the Ragman Rolls of 1296, a collection of homage renderings to King Edward I of England. The name is also found in the Exchequer Rolls of Scotland from 1366, referring to a Donald Farchare.
The Farquhar surname is closely associated with the clans of the Scottish Highlands, particularly the Clan Farquharson. This clan traces its roots back to the 12th century and the area of Braemar in Aberdeenshire. The name Farquharson is believed to be a patronymic form of Farquhar.
One of the earliest recorded individuals with the Farquhar surname was Sir Walter Farquhar, a Scottish knight who lived in the 15th century. He fought alongside King James IV of Scotland at the Battle of Flodden in 1513. Another notable figure was Sir Robert Farquhar, a British colonial administrator who served as the Governor of Mauritius from 1810 to 1823.
In the 17th century, a prominent bearer of the name was Sir John Farquhar, a Scottish merchant and politician who served as the Lord Provost of Edinburgh from 1677 to 1679. He was knighted by King Charles II in 1677.
The Farquhar surname also has a connection to literary history. George Farquhar (1678-1707) was an Irish playwright and satirist, known for his comedic works such as "The Beaux' Stratagem" and "The Recruiting Officer".
Another notable individual with this surname was Sir Walter Farquhar, 1st Baronet (1810-1891), a British doctor who served as the Physician-in-Ordinary to Queen Victoria. He was also a prolific writer on medical topics and was knighted in 1859.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Farquhar
Among Census respondents with the surname Farquhar, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.8%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.7%) and Black (3.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Farquhar 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 Farquhar surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White88.8% · 2,283
- Two or more races3.7% · 96
- Black or African American3.5% · 90
- Hispanic or Latino2.8% · 73
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 15
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.6% · 15
Timeline
Historical Census data for Farquhar
Farquhar 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
#11,584
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,714
+50 bearers (+1.9%)
Per 100,000 0.92
Rank movement Down 628 places
2020
#11,668
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,572
-142 bearers (-5.2%)
Per 100,000 0.86
Rank movement Down 84 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #10,956 | 2,664 | 0.99 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #11,584 | 2,714 | 0.92 | +50 bearers (+1.9%) | Down 628 places |
| 2020 | #11,668 | 2,572 | 0.86 | -142 bearers (-5.2%) | Down 84 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 Farquhar 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 | #11,584 | #11,668 | -0.7% |
| Count | 2,714 | 2,572 | -5.2% |
| Per 100K | 0.92 | 0.86 | -6.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Farquhar bearers went from 2,714 to 2,572 (-5.2% change). The surname moved down 84 positions in the national ranking, going from #11,584 to #11,668.
FAQ
Farquhar surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Farquhar?
Name Census estimates that about 2,949 living Americans carry the surname Farquhar. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 116,227 residents.
How common is Farquhar?
Farquhar ranks #11,668 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.86 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 2,572 people with the surname Farquhar. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,949), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.86 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.86 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 Farquhar.
Has Farquhar become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Farquhar went from 2,714 recorded bearers to 2,572. That is a decrease of 142 (-5.2%). In the national ranking it fell from #11,584 to #11,668.
What does the Census say about the background of Farquhar?
Among Census respondents with the surname Farquhar, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.8%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.7%) and Black (3.5%). 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 Farquhar in the 2020 Census, accounting for 88.8% (2,283 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Farquhar appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (88.8%), Two or More Races (3.7%), Black (3.5%). 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 Farquhar (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 Farquhar mean?
Derived from the Gaelic "fearchar," meaning "dear one" or "beloved man," originally a first name that became hereditary. 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 Farquhar (0.86 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 Farquhar?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.