2000
#13,871
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,998
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.74
Rare Last name
Fassett
Derived from a French place name meaning "little face," likely referring to a small, round hill.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,148 Americans carry the last name Fassett. That puts it at #15,115 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.63 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 159,569 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Fassett 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.
Bearers in the US
2.1K
1 in 159,569
Census rank
#15,115
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.6
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
1.9K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 1,873 bearers of the surname Fassett in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.63 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 15115th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Fassett, the largest self-reported group is White at 81.0%. The next largest groups are Black (7.7%) and Hispanic (5.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Fassett
The surname Fassett is of English origin, derived from a place name that referred to a location near a clump of ash trees. It is believed to have originated in the 12th or 13th century, possibly in the counties of Berkshire or Oxfordshire.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name is in the Hundred Rolls of 1273, where it appears as "de Fassete." This suggests that the name was initially used as a locative surname, indicating a person's place of origin or residence near an ash tree clump.
Another early record of the name can be found in the Subsidy Rolls of Worcestershire from 1327, where it is listed as "Fasset." This variation in spelling was common during the Middle Ages when surnames were just starting to become hereditary.
In the late 14th century, the name appeared in the Poll Tax Returns of Yorkshire as "Fasset" and "Fassett." These records provide evidence of the name's presence in different parts of England during that period.
One notable figure from history who bore the surname Fassett was Sir John Fassett (1551-1628), an English politician and member of Parliament for Taunton in 1604. He was also a successful merchant and landowner in Somerset.
Another significant figure was Reverend James Fassett (1707-1779), an American Congregational minister and missionary who played a crucial role in the early settlement of Vermont. He established the town of Bennington and was instrumental in the state's fight for independence during the Revolutionary War.
In the 19th century, Benjamin Fassett (1808-1880) was a prominent American politician from New York. He served as a member of the United States House of Representatives from 1853 to 1857 and was later appointed as the Commissioner of Public Works for the state of New York.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name in America can be traced back to John Fassett, who arrived in Massachusetts Bay Colony in 1635 from England. His descendants went on to settle in various parts of New England and played a role in the region's history.
Another notable figure was Cornelia Lunt Fassett (1831-1898), an American philanthropist and social reformer. She was actively involved in the women's suffrage movement and worked to improve the living conditions of factory workers in Massachusetts.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Fassett
Among Census respondents with the surname Fassett, the largest self-reported group is White at 81.0%. The next largest groups are Black (7.7%) and Hispanic (5.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Fassett 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 Fassett surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White81.0% · 1,518
- Black or African American7.7% · 145
- Hispanic or Latino5.6% · 104
- Two or more races3.7% · 69
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.0% · 19
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.0% · 18
Timeline
Historical Census data for Fassett
Fassett 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
#13,798
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,191
+193 bearers (+9.7%)
Per 100,000 0.74
Rank movement Up 73 places
2020
#15,115
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,873
-318 bearers (-14.5%)
Per 100,000 0.63
Rank movement Down 1,317 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #13,871 | 1,998 | 0.74 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #13,798 | 2,191 | 0.74 | +193 bearers (+9.7%) | Up 73 places |
| 2020 | #15,115 | 1,873 | 0.63 | -318 bearers (-14.5%) | Down 1,317 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 Fassett 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 | #13,798 | #15,115 | -9.5% |
| Count | 2,191 | 1,873 | -14.5% |
| Per 100K | 0.74 | 0.63 | -15.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Fassett bearers went from 2,191 to 1,873 (-14.5% change). The surname moved down 1,317 positions in the national ranking, going from #13,798 to #15,115.
FAQ
Fassett surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Fassett?
Name Census estimates that about 2,148 living Americans carry the surname Fassett. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 159,569 residents.
How common is Fassett?
Fassett ranks #15,115 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.63 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 1,873 people with the surname Fassett. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,148), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.63 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.63 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 Fassett.
Has Fassett become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Fassett went from 2,191 recorded bearers to 1,873. That is a decrease of 318 (-14.5%). In the national ranking it fell from #13,798 to #15,115.
What does the Census say about the background of Fassett?
Among Census respondents with the surname Fassett, the largest self-reported group is White at 81.0%. The next largest groups are Black (7.7%) and Hispanic (5.6%). 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 Fassett in the 2020 Census, accounting for 81.0% (1,518 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Fassett appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (81.0%), Black (7.7%), Hispanic (5.6%). 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 Fassett (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 Fassett mean?
Derived from a French place name meaning "little face," likely referring to a small, round 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 Fassett (0.63 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 have the surname Fassett?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.