2000
#1,709
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 19,242
First available Census row
Per 100,000 7.13
Uncommon Last name
Farr
An English toponymic surname derived from the Old English word "færr," meaning a bull or ox.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 22,055 Americans carry the last name Farr. That puts it at #1,829 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 6.43 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 15,541 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Farr 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 Farr with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
22K
1 in 15,541
Census rank
#1,829
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
6.4
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
19K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 19,233 bearers of the surname Farr in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 6.43 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 1829th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Farr, the largest self-reported group is White at 80.7%. The next largest groups are Black (10.9%) and Two or More Races (3.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Farr
The surname FARR is of English origin, derived from the Old English word "feor," meaning "far" or "distant." It likely originated as a descriptive name referring to someone who lived far away or came from a distant place.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the FARR surname can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, where it appears as "Ferre" or "Farre." This suggests that the name was already established in England during the Norman Conquest.
In the 13th century, the name was also recorded in various forms, such as "Ferre," "Farre," and "Ferre de Malmesbury," indicating a connection with the town of Malmesbury in Wiltshire.
Notable individuals with the FARR surname include Richard Farr (c. 1530-1594), an English composer and musician who served as a Gentleman of the Chapel Royal under Queen Elizabeth I. Another prominent figure was Samuel Farr (1741-1795), a British naval officer and explorer who served as a commander in the Royal Navy during the American Revolutionary War.
In the literary world, Jonathan Farr (1720-1798) was an English author and playwright known for his comedic works, such as "The Constant Couple" and "The Mistakes of a Night."
Moving into the 19th century, William Farr (1807-1883) was a renowned British statistician and epidemiologist who played a crucial role in developing modern medical statistics and public health initiatives.
Another notable person was John Farr (1829-1913), a British architect responsible for designing several notable buildings in London, including the grand hotel at Charing Cross Station.
Over the centuries, the FARR surname has also been associated with various place names, such as Farringdon in London and Farringworth in Northamptonshire, which may have influenced the spelling and pronunciation of the name in different regions.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Farr
Among Census respondents with the surname Farr, the largest self-reported group is White at 80.7%. The next largest groups are Black (10.9%) and Two or More Races (3.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Farr 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 Farr surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White80.7% · 15,515
- Black or African American10.9% · 2,101
- Two or more races3.9% · 756
- Hispanic or Latino3.3% · 632
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 153
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.4% · 76
Timeline
Historical Census data for Farr
Farr 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
#1,794
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 20,011
+769 bearers (+4.0%)
Per 100,000 6.78
Rank movement Down 85 places
2020
#1,829
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 19,233
-778 bearers (-3.9%)
Per 100,000 6.43
Rank movement Down 35 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #1,709 | 19,242 | 7.13 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #1,794 | 20,011 | 6.78 | +769 bearers (+4.0%) | Down 85 places |
| 2020 | #1,829 | 19,233 | 6.43 | -778 bearers (-3.9%) | Down 35 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 Farr 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 | #1,794 | #1,829 | -2.0% |
| Count | 20,011 | 19,233 | -3.9% |
| Per 100K | 6.78 | 6.43 | -5.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Farr bearers went from 20,011 to 19,233 (-3.9% change). The surname moved down 35 positions in the national ranking, going from #1,794 to #1,829.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Farr
FAQ
Farr surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Farr?
Name Census estimates that about 22,055 living Americans carry the surname Farr. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 15,541 residents.
How common is Farr?
Farr ranks #1,829 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 6.43 per 100,000 residents, which is about 6 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 19,233 people with the surname Farr. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (22,055), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 6.43 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 6.43 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 6 of them to have the surname Farr.
Has Farr become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Farr went from 20,011 recorded bearers to 19,233. That is a decrease of 778 (-3.9%). In the national ranking it fell from #1,794 to #1,829.
What does the Census say about the background of Farr?
Among Census respondents with the surname Farr, the largest self-reported group is White at 80.7%. The next largest groups are Black (10.9%) and Two or More Races (3.9%). 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 Farr in the 2020 Census, accounting for 80.7% (15,515 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Farr appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (80.7%), Black (10.9%), Two or More Races (3.9%). 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 Farr (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 Farr mean?
An English toponymic surname derived from the Old English word "færr," meaning a bull or ox. 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 Farr (6.43 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 are called Farr?
Want to know how many Americans have the surname Farr? HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, puts the living-bearer count front and centre.