2000
#123,314
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 129
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.05
Very Rare Last name
Faulls
A locational surname derived from the Old French "falaise" meaning cliff.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 127 Americans carry the last name Faulls. That puts it at #148,665 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,698,853 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Faulls 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
127
1 in 2,698,853
Census rank
#148,665
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
111
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 111 bearers of the surname Faulls in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 148665th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Faulls, the largest self-reported group is White at 100.0%.
Origin
Meaning and origin of Faulls
The surname Faulls has its origins in England, with records dating back to the 12th century. It is believed to be derived from the Old English word "fald," which means "fold" or "enclosure for sheep." This suggests that the earliest bearers of this name may have been shepherds or lived near a sheep enclosure.
In the Domesday Book, a record of landowners in England compiled in 1086, there are entries for individuals with the surname Faulds or Faults, which are likely early variations of the modern spelling. One notable example is Robertus de Faldis, who held lands in Gloucestershire.
The earliest known recorded instance of the surname Faulls is found in the Pipe Rolls of Yorkshire from 1170, where a Thomas de Faulis is mentioned. This spelling variation indicates the name's evolution over time.
During the Middle Ages, many Faulls families were concentrated in the northern counties of England, particularly Yorkshire, Lancashire, and Westmorland. Some of the earliest recorded place names associated with the surname include Faulds in Derbyshire and Faulds in Renfrewshire, Scotland.
One of the earliest notable individuals with the surname Faulls was Sir William Faulls (c. 1360-1437), a Member of Parliament for Lancashire during the reign of Henry VI. Another prominent figure was John Faulls (1590-1657), an English clergyman and author who wrote several religious texts.
In the 17th century, a Faulls family settled in Virginia, with Thomas Faulls (1625-1690) being one of the first recorded members of this branch. His descendants went on to establish themselves throughout the American colonies.
Other notable individuals with the surname Faulls include James Faulls (1790-1865), a Scottish architect who designed several buildings in Edinburgh, and William Faulls (1816-1892), an English businessman and philanthropist who funded the construction of several schools and hospitals.
Throughout its history, the surname Faulls has maintained a strong presence in England, Scotland, and parts of North America, with various spelling variations emerging over time, reflecting the regional dialects and linguistic shifts of different eras.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Faulls
Among Census respondents with the surname Faulls, the largest self-reported group is White at 100.0%.
The bar chart below shows how Faulls 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 Faulls surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White100.0% · 111
Timeline
Historical Census data for Faulls
Faulls 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
#144,141
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 115
-14 bearers (-10.9%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 20,827 places
2020
#148,665
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 111
-4 bearers (-3.5%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 4,524 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #123,314 | 129 | 0.05 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #144,141 | 115 | 0.04 | -14 bearers (-10.9%) | Down 20,827 places |
| 2020 | #148,665 | 111 | 0.04 | -4 bearers (-3.5%) | Down 4,524 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 Faulls 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 | #144,141 | #148,665 | -3.1% |
| Count | 115 | 111 | -3.5% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -7.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Faulls bearers went from 115 to 111 (-3.5% change). The surname moved down 4,524 positions in the national ranking, going from #144,141 to #148,665.
FAQ
Faulls surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Faulls?
Name Census estimates that about 127 living Americans carry the surname Faulls. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,698,853 residents.
How common is Faulls?
Faulls ranks #148,665 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 111 people with the surname Faulls. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (127), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.04 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Faulls.
Has Faulls become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Faulls went from 115 recorded bearers to 111. That is a decrease of 4 (-3.5%). In the national ranking it fell from #144,141 to #148,665.
What does the Census say about the background of Faulls?
Among Census respondents with the surname Faulls, the largest self-reported group is White at 100.0%. 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 Faulls in the 2020 Census, accounting for 100.0% (111 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Faulls appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (100.0%). 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 Faulls (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 Faulls mean?
A locational surname derived from the Old French "falaise" meaning cliff. 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 Faulls (0.04 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 Faulls?
Find out how many people have the surname Faulls on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.