2000
#3,714
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 8,766
First available Census row
Per 100,000 3.25
Rare Last name
Farrington
Derived from a place name meaning "fern-covered hill" in Old English, referring to someone who lived near such a hill.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 9,801 Americans carry the last name Farrington. That puts it at #4,030 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 2.86 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 34,971 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Farrington 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 Farrington with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
9.8K
1 in 34,971
Census rank
#4,030
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
2.9
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
8.5K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 8,547 bearers of the surname Farrington in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 2.86 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 4030th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Farrington, the largest self-reported group is White at 74.6%. The next largest groups are Black (16.7%) and Two or More Races (4.3%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Farrington
The surname Farrington is of English origin, derived from the Old English words "fearn" meaning fern and "tun" meaning a farm or estate. It likely originated in the 12th or 13th century as a locational name for someone who lived near a fern-covered area or farm.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Farrington can be found in the Pipe Rolls of Staffordshire from 1199, where a Robert de Ferentone is mentioned. This spelling variation suggests the name may have originated from the village of Farndon, located in Cheshire.
In the 13th century, the name appeared in various forms, such as Ferynton and Farendon, reflecting the regional dialects and spelling variations of the time. The Hundred Rolls of 1273 mention a John de Ferinton from Buckinghamshire.
The Domesday Book, a comprehensive record of landowners and tenants compiled in 1086, does not include the surname Farrington. However, it does mention several places with similar names, such as Ferendone in Bedfordshire and Ferndun in Northamptonshire, which may have been the origins of later Farrington families.
One notable historical figure with the surname Farrington was Sir Henry Farrington (1614-1671), a prominent English judge and politician during the English Civil War. He served as a Baron of the Exchequer and was a Member of Parliament for Chichester.
Another significant individual was John Farrington (1609-1658), an English clergyman and academic who served as the President of the Queen's College, Oxford, from 1653 until his death.
In the literary world, Benjamin Farrington (1891-1974) was a British historian and philosopher known for his works on Greek science and philosophy, including his influential book "Greek Science: Its Meaning for Us."
In the military realm, Sir Anthony Farrington (1548-1630) was an English soldier and Member of Parliament who served as the Governor of the Isle of Man from 1600 to 1629.
Lastly, Edward Farrington (1633-1685) was an English minister and author who wrote several religious works, including "The Immateriality of the Soul" and "Remarks on Mr. Sherlock's Book, Entituled, A Discourse Concerning the Knowledge of Jesus Christ."
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Farrington
Among Census respondents with the surname Farrington, the largest self-reported group is White at 74.6%. The next largest groups are Black (16.7%) and Two or More Races (4.3%).
The bar chart below shows how Farrington 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 Farrington surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White74.6% · 6,380
- Black or African American16.7% · 1,426
- Two or more races4.3% · 364
- Hispanic or Latino3.5% · 297
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 55
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 25
Timeline
Historical Census data for Farrington
Farrington 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
#3,844
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 9,211
+445 bearers (+5.1%)
Per 100,000 3.12
Rank movement Down 130 places
2020
#4,030
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 8,547
-664 bearers (-7.2%)
Per 100,000 2.86
Rank movement Down 186 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #3,714 | 8,766 | 3.25 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #3,844 | 9,211 | 3.12 | +445 bearers (+5.1%) | Down 130 places |
| 2020 | #4,030 | 8,547 | 2.86 | -664 bearers (-7.2%) | Down 186 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 Farrington 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 | #3,844 | #4,030 | -4.8% |
| Count | 9,211 | 8,547 | -7.2% |
| Per 100K | 3.12 | 2.86 | -8.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Farrington bearers went from 9,211 to 8,547 (-7.2% change). The surname moved down 186 positions in the national ranking, going from #3,844 to #4,030.
FAQ
Farrington surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Farrington?
Name Census estimates that about 9,801 living Americans carry the surname Farrington. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 34,971 residents.
How common is Farrington?
Farrington ranks #4,030 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 2.86 per 100,000 residents, which is about 3 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 8,547 people with the surname Farrington. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (9,801), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 2.86 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 2.86 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 3 of them to have the surname Farrington.
Has Farrington become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Farrington went from 9,211 recorded bearers to 8,547. That is a decrease of 664 (-7.2%). In the national ranking it fell from #3,844 to #4,030.
What does the Census say about the background of Farrington?
Among Census respondents with the surname Farrington, the largest self-reported group is White at 74.6%. The next largest groups are Black (16.7%) and Two or More Races (4.3%). 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 Farrington in the 2020 Census, accounting for 74.6% (6,380 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Farrington appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (74.6%), Black (16.7%), Two or More Races (4.3%). 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 Farrington (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 Farrington mean?
Derived from a place name meaning "fern-covered hill" in Old English, referring to someone who lived near such a hill. 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 Farrington (2.86 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 Farrington?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.