2000
#123,314
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 129
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.05
Very Rare Last name
Faunt
A surname derived from the Old French word "feint" meaning lazy or idle.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 139 Americans carry the last name Faunt. That puts it at #141,309 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,465,859 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Faunt 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
139
1 in 2,465,859
Census rank
#141,309
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
121
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 121 bearers of the surname Faunt in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 141309th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Faunt, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.6%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.1%) and Black (1.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Faunt
The surname "FAUNT" is of Anglo-Saxon origin, and it first appeared in England during the 11th century. It is derived from the Old English word "fant," which means "infant" or "child." The name was initially given as a nickname to a young person or someone who was considered childish or immature.
In the Domesday Book of 1086, a record of landowners in England commissioned by William the Conqueror, there are several entries for individuals with variations of the name, including Fante, Fant, and Faunt. These early spellings indicate that the name was already established in different parts of the country by the late 11th century.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname "FAUNT" can be found in the Hundred Rolls of Oxfordshire, a collection of administrative records from the late 13th century. In these rolls, a man named Richard le Faunt is mentioned as a landowner in the village of Stratton Audley.
During the Middle Ages, the name "FAUNT" was also associated with several place names in England, such as Faunthorp in Yorkshire and Faunton in Gloucestershire. These place names likely derived from the same Old English root as the surname and may have influenced its spelling and pronunciation.
In the 14th century, a prominent figure with the surname "FAUNT" was Sir John Faunt, a knight who served under King Edward III during the Hundred Years' War. He was born around 1310 and participated in several battles, including the Battle of Crécy in 1346.
Another notable individual with this surname was William Faunt, a wealthy merchant and landowner who lived in London during the 16th century. He was born in 1522 and is recorded as having owned several properties in the city.
In the 17th century, a clergyman named Thomas Faunt (1595-1668) served as the rector of St. Mary's Church in Taunton, Somerset. He was a prominent figure in the local community and is mentioned in several historical records from that time period.
During the 18th century, a man named John Faunt (1720-1793) was a successful entrepreneur and industrialist in the textile industry. He established a successful wool and cloth manufacturing business in the West Riding of Yorkshire.
In the 19th century, a notable figure with the surname "FAUNT" was Sir Andrew Faunt (1810-1875), a British Army officer who served in several campaigns, including the Crimean War. He was awarded several military honors and reached the rank of lieutenant-general before his retirement.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Faunt
Among Census respondents with the surname Faunt, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.6%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.1%) and Black (1.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Faunt 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 Faunt surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White92.6% · 112
- Two or more races4.1% · 5
- Black or African American1.7% · 2
- Hispanic or Latino1.7% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Faunt
Faunt 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
#153,769
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 106
-23 bearers (-17.8%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 30,455 places
2020
#141,309
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 121
+15 bearers (+14.2%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 12,460 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 | #153,769 | 106 | 0.04 | -23 bearers (-17.8%) | Down 30,455 places |
| 2020 | #141,309 | 121 | 0.04 | +15 bearers (+14.2%) | Up 12,460 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 Faunt 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 | #153,769 | #141,309 | 8.1% |
| Count | 106 | 121 | 14.2% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | 1.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Faunt bearers went from 106 to 121 (+14.2% change). The surname moved up 12,460 positions in the national ranking, going from #153,769 to #141,309.
FAQ
Faunt surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Faunt?
Name Census estimates that about 139 living Americans carry the surname Faunt. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,465,859 residents.
How common is Faunt?
Faunt ranks #141,309 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 121 people with the surname Faunt. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (139), 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 Faunt.
Has Faunt become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Faunt went from 106 recorded bearers to 121. That is an increase of 15 (+14.2%). In the national ranking it rose from #153,769 to #141,309.
What does the Census say about the background of Faunt?
Among Census respondents with the surname Faunt, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.6%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.1%) and Black (1.7%). 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 Faunt in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.6% (112 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Faunt appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (92.6%), Two or More Races (4.1%), Black (1.7%). 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 Faunt (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 Faunt mean?
A surname derived from the Old French word "feint" meaning lazy or idle. 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 Faunt (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 many people have the surname Faunt?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.