2000
#11,464
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,520
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.93
Rare Last name
Faul
Derived from a Germanic personal name composed of the elements "fal" (joyful) and "wulf" (wolf).
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,770 Americans carry the last name Faul. That puts it at #12,294 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.81 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 123,738 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Faul 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 Faul with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
2.8K
1 in 123,738
Census rank
#12,294
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.8
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.4K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,416 bearers of the surname Faul in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.81 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 12294th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Faul, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.4%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.2%) and Hispanic (2.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Faul
The surname FAUL is of English origin, derived from the Old English word "fæl," which means "ring" or "circular enclosure." It is believed to have emerged in the 12th century as a topographic name for someone who lived near a circular enclosure or a ring-shaped feature in the landscape.
The earliest recorded instance of the name FAUL can be traced back to the Domesday Book of 1086, where it appears as "Fauel." This suggests that the name was already in use before the Norman Conquest of England in 1066.
In the 13th century, the name FAUL appeared in various records and manuscripts, such as the Hundred Rolls of 1273, where it is listed as "Fauel" and "Favel." This indicates that the spelling of the name varied during this period.
During the Middle Ages, the name FAUL was also associated with certain place names, such as Fawley in Hampshire, which was recorded as "Faueleia" in the Domesday Book. This suggests that some individuals may have derived their surname from the name of the place where they lived or originated from.
One notable individual with the surname FAUL was John Faul (c. 1330-1399), an English landowner and member of the gentry from Staffordshire. Another prominent figure was Thomas Faul (1568-1640), a clergyman who served as the Bishop of Thetford in Norfolk.
In the 17th century, the name FAUL appeared in various parish records and court rolls, such as the Hearth Tax Rolls of 1662, where it is listed as "Fawle" and "Fawl." This variation in spelling continued until the late 18th century when the modern spelling of "FAUL" became more standardized.
Other notable individuals with the surname FAUL include William Faul (1720-1790), a British soldier who served in the American Revolutionary War, and James Faul (1805-1882), an Irish-born Australian politician and landowner who played a prominent role in the early development of South Australia.
Throughout its history, the surname FAUL has been associated with various occupations and social classes, from landowners and clergymen to soldiers and politicians. Its roots can be traced back to the Old English word "fæl," reflecting the topographic origins of many English surnames.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Faul
Among Census respondents with the surname Faul, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.4%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.2%) and Hispanic (2.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Faul 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 Faul surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White91.4% · 2,209
- Two or more races3.2% · 77
- Hispanic or Latino2.7% · 66
- Black or African American1.2% · 30
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 18
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.7% · 16
Timeline
Historical Census data for Faul
Faul 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
#10,914
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,916
+396 bearers (+15.7%)
Per 100,000 0.99
Rank movement Up 550 places
2020
#12,294
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,416
-500 bearers (-17.1%)
Per 100,000 0.81
Rank movement Down 1,380 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #11,464 | 2,520 | 0.93 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #10,914 | 2,916 | 0.99 | +396 bearers (+15.7%) | Up 550 places |
| 2020 | #12,294 | 2,416 | 0.81 | -500 bearers (-17.1%) | Down 1,380 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 Faul 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 | #10,914 | #12,294 | -12.6% |
| Count | 2,916 | 2,416 | -17.1% |
| Per 100K | 0.99 | 0.81 | -18.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Faul bearers went from 2,916 to 2,416 (-17.1% change). The surname moved down 1,380 positions in the national ranking, going from #10,914 to #12,294.
FAQ
Faul surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Faul?
Name Census estimates that about 2,770 living Americans carry the surname Faul. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 123,738 residents.
How common is Faul?
Faul ranks #12,294 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.81 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 2,416 people with the surname Faul. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,770), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.81 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.81 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 Faul.
Has Faul become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Faul went from 2,916 recorded bearers to 2,416. That is a decrease of 500 (-17.1%). In the national ranking it fell from #10,914 to #12,294.
What does the Census say about the background of Faul?
Among Census respondents with the surname Faul, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.4%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.2%) and Hispanic (2.7%). 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 Faul in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.4% (2,209 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Faul appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (91.4%), Two or More Races (3.2%), Hispanic (2.7%). 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 Faul (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 Faul mean?
Derived from a Germanic personal name composed of the elements "fal" (joyful) and "wulf" (wolf). 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 Faul (0.81 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 Faul?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.