2000
#10,037
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,962
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.10
Rare Last name
Farthing
A topographic surname referring to someone who lived on a farthing-worth of land, or near a fourth-part division.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 3,170 Americans carry the last name Farthing. That puts it at #10,991 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.92 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 108,124 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Farthing 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 Farthing with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
3.2K
1 in 108,124
Census rank
#10,991
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.9
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.8K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,764 bearers of the surname Farthing in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.92 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 10991st position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Farthing, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.0%) and Two or More Races (2.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Farthing
The surname Farthing has its origins in England and dates back to the 13th century. It is derived from the Old English word 'feorthing' or 'ferdung', which referred to a quarter of a penny, a small amount of money in medieval times. This suggests that the name may have been given to someone who dealt with small sums of money, perhaps a tax collector or a moneylender.
The Farthing name is found in various historical records, including the Hundred Rolls of 1273, which lists a Robert Ferthyng residing in Oxfordshire. The Domesday Book of 1086 also mentions a place called 'Farthinghoe' in Northamptonshire, which may have been the original home of some early bearers of the name.
One of the earliest recorded individuals with the surname Farthing was William Farthing, a merchant who lived in London in the late 14th century. Another notable figure was John Farthing, a wealthy landowner from Worcestershire, who was born around 1550 and died in 1623.
In the 17th century, the name appears in various parish records, such as those of St. Bride's Church in London, where a Thomas Farthing was baptized in 1638. A variant spelling, 'Farthing', is found in the records of St. Mary's Church in Nottingham, where a John Farthing was married in 1674.
One of the most famous individuals with the Farthing surname was Benjamin Farthing, a notable English engraver and printer who lived from 1676 to 1758. His work included engravings for books and maps, and he is remembered for his contributions to the art of printmaking.
Another notable figure was John Farthing, a prominent British architect who was born in 1808 and died in 1886. He designed many notable buildings in London, including the Royal Albert Hall and the Natural History Museum.
In the 19th century, the Farthing name continued to be found across England, with records showing individuals bearing the surname in various occupations, from farmers to tradesmen. Examples include William Farthing, a farmer from Dorset who was born in 1812, and James Farthing, a carpenter from Yorkshire who was born in 1842.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Farthing
Among Census respondents with the surname Farthing, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.0%) and Two or More Races (2.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Farthing 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 Farthing surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White90.7% · 2,506
- Hispanic or Latino3.0% · 84
- Two or more races2.8% · 78
- Black or African American2.6% · 72
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.5% · 15
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 9
Timeline
Historical Census data for Farthing
Farthing 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
#11,031
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,882
-80 bearers (-2.7%)
Per 100,000 0.98
Rank movement Down 994 places
2020
#10,991
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,764
-118 bearers (-4.1%)
Per 100,000 0.92
Rank movement Up 40 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #10,037 | 2,962 | 1.10 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #11,031 | 2,882 | 0.98 | -80 bearers (-2.7%) | Down 994 places |
| 2020 | #10,991 | 2,764 | 0.92 | -118 bearers (-4.1%) | Up 40 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 Farthing 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 | #11,031 | #10,991 | 0.4% |
| Count | 2,882 | 2,764 | -4.1% |
| Per 100K | 0.98 | 0.92 | -5.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Farthing bearers went from 2,882 to 2,764 (-4.1% change). The surname moved up 40 positions in the national ranking, going from #11,031 to #10,991.
FAQ
Farthing surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Farthing?
Name Census estimates that about 3,170 living Americans carry the surname Farthing. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 108,124 residents.
How common is Farthing?
Farthing ranks #10,991 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.92 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 2,764 people with the surname Farthing. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (3,170), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.92 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.92 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 Farthing.
Has Farthing become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Farthing went from 2,882 recorded bearers to 2,764. That is a decrease of 118 (-4.1%). In the national ranking it rose from #11,031 to #10,991.
What does the Census say about the background of Farthing?
Among Census respondents with the surname Farthing, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.0%) and Two or More Races (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 Farthing in the 2020 Census, accounting for 90.7% (2,506 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Farthing appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (90.7%), Hispanic (3.0%), Two or More Races (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 Farthing (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 Farthing mean?
A topographic surname referring to someone who lived on a farthing-worth of land, or near a fourth-part division. 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 Farthing (0.92 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 Farthing?
For a quick modern take, check how many people have the last name Farthing on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org.