2000
#9,041
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,324
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.23
Rare Last name
Faught
A surname of Scottish origin derived from the Old English word "faught," meaning a fight or battle.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 3,378 Americans carry the last name Faught. That puts it at #10,410 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.99 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 101,467 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Faught 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
3.4K
1 in 101,467
Census rank
#10,410
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.9K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,946 bearers of the surname Faught in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.99 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 10410th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Faught, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.1%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.6%) and Hispanic (4.2%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Faught
The surname Faught is of English origin, derived from the Old English word "fohta," meaning "fighter" or "warrior." It is believed to have originated in the 11th or 12th century, during the Norman Conquest of England.
The earliest recorded instances of the name date back to the 13th century, with references to individuals bearing the surname Faught appearing in various medieval records and manuscripts from different parts of England. One notable example is Walter le Foughte, who was mentioned in the Hundred Rolls of Bedfordshire in 1273.
In the 14th century, the name Faught was found in various forms, such as Foughte, Faughte, and Fawght, reflecting the variations in spelling common during that period. One of the earliest recorded individuals with this surname was John Faughte, who lived in Oxfordshire in the late 1300s.
During the 15th and 16th centuries, the surname Faught began to appear in connection with various place names, suggesting that some families with this surname may have derived their name from the locality where they resided. For instance, there are records of individuals named Faught residing in the village of Faughtown, now known as Fawdon, in Northumberland.
One notable figure in history who bore the surname Faught was Sir William Faught (1550-1621), an English politician and landowner who served as a Member of Parliament for Northumberland during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I.
In the 17th century, the name Faught continued to be found in various parts of England, with some families settling in the American colonies. One such individual was James Faught (1635-1710), an early settler in Virginia who arrived in the colony in the late 1600s.
During the 18th and 19th centuries, the surname Faught became more widespread, with individuals bearing this name found in various parts of the United Kingdom, as well as in North America and other regions where English settlers had established communities. Some notable individuals with the surname Faught during this period include:
1. John Faught (1760-1845), an American Revolutionary War soldier from Pennsylvania.
2. William Faught (1785-1865), a British naval officer who served in the Royal Navy during the Napoleonic Wars.
3. Mary Faught (1810-1890), an American author and poet from Ohio.
4. Thomas Faught (1825-1908), a Canadian businessman and politician from Ontario.
5. James Faught (1850-1921), an American educator and author from Illinois.
These are just a few examples of individuals who have borne the surname Faught throughout history, highlighting its English origins and the various regions where it has been found over the centuries.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Faught
Among Census respondents with the surname Faught, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.1%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.6%) and Hispanic (4.2%).
The bar chart below shows how Faught 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 Faught surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White89.1% · 2,626
- Two or more races4.6% · 136
- Hispanic or Latino4.2% · 124
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.8% · 24
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 19
- Black or African American0.6% · 17
Timeline
Historical Census data for Faught
Faught 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
#9,667
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,357
+33 bearers (+1.0%)
Per 100,000 1.14
Rank movement Down 626 places
2020
#10,410
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,946
-411 bearers (-12.2%)
Per 100,000 0.99
Rank movement Down 743 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #9,041 | 3,324 | 1.23 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #9,667 | 3,357 | 1.14 | +33 bearers (+1.0%) | Down 626 places |
| 2020 | #10,410 | 2,946 | 0.99 | -411 bearers (-12.2%) | Down 743 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 Faught 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 | #9,667 | #10,410 | -7.7% |
| Count | 3,357 | 2,946 | -12.2% |
| Per 100K | 1.14 | 0.99 | -13.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Faught bearers went from 3,357 to 2,946 (-12.2% change). The surname moved down 743 positions in the national ranking, going from #9,667 to #10,410.
FAQ
Faught surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Faught?
Name Census estimates that about 3,378 living Americans carry the surname Faught. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 101,467 residents.
How common is Faught?
Faught ranks #10,410 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.99 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 2,946 people with the surname Faught. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (3,378), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.99 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.99 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 Faught.
Has Faught become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Faught went from 3,357 recorded bearers to 2,946. That is a decrease of 411 (-12.2%). In the national ranking it fell from #9,667 to #10,410.
What does the Census say about the background of Faught?
Among Census respondents with the surname Faught, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.1%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.6%) and Hispanic (4.2%). 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 Faught in the 2020 Census, accounting for 89.1% (2,626 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Faught appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (89.1%), Two or More Races (4.6%), Hispanic (4.2%). 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 Faught (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 Faught mean?
A surname of Scottish origin derived from the Old English word "faught," meaning a fight or battle. 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 Faught (0.99 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 Faught?
For a quick modern take, check how many people have the last name Faught on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org.