Find out how popular the last name Faust is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Faust.

Faust, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Faust surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Faust in America

Faust is the 2263rd most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Faust surname appeared 16,066 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 5 people would have the surname Faust.

We can also compare 2010 data for Faust to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name Faust

The surname Faust is of German origin, derived from the Latin word "faustus" meaning "lucky" or "fortunate". It is believed to have first emerged as a surname in the Middle Ages, around the 12th or 13th century.

The name is thought to have originated in the region of southern Germany, particularly in the areas around Bavaria and Swabia. It may have initially been used as a nickname or descriptive name for someone considered fortunate or lucky.

One of the earliest known references to the name Faust is in the Narrenschiff, a satirical work written by Sebastian Brant and published in 1494. The book includes a character named Doctor Faustus, who is portrayed as a learned scholar but also a foolish and arrogant man.

The most famous bearer of the name Faust was Johann Georg Faust (c. 1480 - c. 1540), a German scholar and alchemist who became the basis for the legendary figure of Doctor Faustus, popularized in various literary works, including the play by Christopher Marlowe and the epic poem by Johann Wolfgang von Goethe.

Another notable person with the surname Faust was Johann Philipp Faust (1632-1685), a German jurist and legal scholar who served as a professor at the University of Strasbourg.

In the 18th century, Johann Friedrich Faust (1692-1768) was a prominent German theologian and philosopher who served as a professor at the University of Erlangen.

One of the earliest recorded spellings of the name is found in the Bayerisches Wörterbuch (Bavarian Dictionary), where it is listed as "Faust" or "Foust" in the 16th century.

The surname Faust has also been associated with various place names, such as Faustdorf (literally "Faust village") in Bavaria, which may have been named after an early bearer of the name.

Throughout history, the surname Faust has been carried by individuals from various walks of life, including scholars, writers, and professionals, reflecting its association with learning and good fortune.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Faust

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Faust.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Faust was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Faust has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Faust was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Faust, please contact us.

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