2000
#11,889
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,411
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.89
Rare Last name
Faucher
An occupational surname for a mower or reaper, derived from the Old French word "faucher" meaning "to mow."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,665 Americans carry the last name Faucher. That puts it at #12,685 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.78 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 128,613 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Faucher 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
2.7K
1 in 128,613
Census rank
#12,685
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.8
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.3K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,324 bearers of the surname Faucher in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.78 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 12685th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Faucher, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.8%. The next largest groups are Black (4.3%) and Hispanic (3.2%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Faucher
The surname Faucher originated in France and is a French occupational name for a scythe maker or user. It derives from the Old French word "faucher" meaning "to mow" or "to reap." The name was first found in the northern regions of France, particularly in Normandy and Brittany.
In medieval times, the Faucher family was prominent in the region of Normandy. One of the earliest recorded instances of the name was in the 12th century, when a Guillaume Faucher was mentioned in the records of the Abbey of Mont-Saint-Michel in 1165.
The name Faucher appeared in various historical records throughout the centuries. In the 13th century, a Geoffroy Faucher was recorded as a landowner in the Duchy of Normandy. The Faucher family also had ties to the nearby areas of Picardy and Île-de-France.
One notable historical figure with the surname Faucher was Jean Faucher, a French scholar and philosopher born in 1588 in Clermont-Ferrand. He was a professor of philosophy at the University of Toulouse and wrote several works on logic and metaphysics.
Another prominent individual was Denis Faucher (1598-1668), a French theologian and writer who served as the rector of the University of Paris and authored several religious treatises.
In the 18th century, Pierre Faucher (1720-1789) was a French architect and engineer who designed several notable buildings in Paris, including the Church of Saint-Philippe-du-Roule.
The surname Faucher also has historical connections to the region of Brittany. In the 19th century, Léon Faucher (1803-1854) was a French statesman and political economist who served as the Minister of Public Works under Napoleon III.
Over time, the surname Faucher spread to other parts of France and eventually to other French-speaking regions and countries. It has been historically associated with various occupations related to agriculture, particularly in rural areas where scythes were commonly used for harvesting crops.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Faucher
Among Census respondents with the surname Faucher, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.8%. The next largest groups are Black (4.3%) and Hispanic (3.2%).
The bar chart below shows how Faucher 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 Faucher surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White88.8% · 2,064
- Black or African American4.3% · 99
- Hispanic or Latino3.2% · 75
- Two or more races3.1% · 71
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.4% · 10
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 5
Timeline
Historical Census data for Faucher
Faucher 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
#12,164
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,562
+151 bearers (+6.3%)
Per 100,000 0.87
Rank movement Down 275 places
2020
#12,685
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,324
-238 bearers (-9.3%)
Per 100,000 0.78
Rank movement Down 521 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #11,889 | 2,411 | 0.89 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #12,164 | 2,562 | 0.87 | +151 bearers (+6.3%) | Down 275 places |
| 2020 | #12,685 | 2,324 | 0.78 | -238 bearers (-9.3%) | Down 521 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 Faucher 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 | #12,164 | #12,685 | -4.3% |
| Count | 2,562 | 2,324 | -9.3% |
| Per 100K | 0.87 | 0.78 | -10.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Faucher bearers went from 2,562 to 2,324 (-9.3% change). The surname moved down 521 positions in the national ranking, going from #12,164 to #12,685.
FAQ
Faucher surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Faucher?
Name Census estimates that about 2,665 living Americans carry the surname Faucher. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 128,613 residents.
How common is Faucher?
Faucher ranks #12,685 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.78 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 2,324 people with the surname Faucher. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,665), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.78 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.78 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 Faucher.
Has Faucher become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Faucher went from 2,562 recorded bearers to 2,324. That is a decrease of 238 (-9.3%). In the national ranking it fell from #12,164 to #12,685.
What does the Census say about the background of Faucher?
Among Census respondents with the surname Faucher, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.8%. The next largest groups are Black (4.3%) and Hispanic (3.2%). 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 Faucher in the 2020 Census, accounting for 88.8% (2,064 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Faucher appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (88.8%), Black (4.3%), Hispanic (3.2%). 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 Faucher (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 Faucher mean?
An occupational surname for a mower or reaper, derived from the Old French word "faucher" meaning "to mow." 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 Faucher (0.78 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 Americans have the surname Faucher?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.