2000
#18,407
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,386
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.51
Rare Last name
Fausto
A surname originating from the Latin name "Faustus", meaning lucky or auspicious.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,062 Americans carry the last name Fausto. That puts it at #15,640 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.60 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 166,224 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Fausto 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
2.1K
1 in 166,224
Census rank
#15,640
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.6
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
1.8K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 1,798 bearers of the surname Fausto in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.60 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 15640th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Fausto, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 82.4%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (8.5%) and White (8.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Fausto
The surname Fausto has its origins in Italy and dates back to the late medieval period. It is derived from the Latin name "Faustus," which means "fortunate" or "lucky." The earliest known use of the name Fausto can be traced back to the 13th century in the regions of Tuscany and Lazio.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Fausto can be found in a manuscript from the 14th century, which mentions a Fausto di Bartolomeo, a merchant from Florence. The name Fausto was also associated with several noble families during the Renaissance period, including the Fausti family of Siena.
In the 16th century, the Italian playwright and poet Giovanni Battista Fausto (1504-1568) achieved notable fame for his works, including the tragedy "Vittoria Colonna." Another prominent figure with the surname Fausto was the Italian mathematician and astronomer Faustino Fausto (1551-1619), who made significant contributions to the study of celestial mechanics.
During the 17th century, the name Fausto appeared in various historical records across Italy, including the birth and death registers of several cities. One notable example is Fausto Veranzio (1551-1617), a Croatian bishop and inventor who was born in Venice.
In the 18th century, the Italian composer and theorist Fausto Torrefranca (1742-1818) gained recognition for his work on the principles of harmony and counterpoint. Another noteworthy individual with the surname Fausto was the Italian poet and dramatist Fausto Galeano (1768-1846), whose works explored themes of love and patriotism.
Throughout the 19th and early 20th centuries, the name Fausto continued to be prevalent in various regions of Italy, with several notable figures bearing the surname. These include the Italian physician and politician Fausto Radice (1857-1928) and the Italian writer and journalist Fausto Salvatori (1879-1958).
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Fausto
Among Census respondents with the surname Fausto, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 82.4%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (8.5%) and White (8.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Fausto 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 Fausto surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Hispanic or Latino82.4% · 1,482
- Asian and Pacific Islander8.5% · 152
- White8.0% · 143
- Two or more races0.7% · 12
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 5
- Black or African American0.2% · 4
Timeline
Historical Census data for Fausto
Fausto 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
#15,268
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,924
+538 bearers (+38.8%)
Per 100,000 0.65
Rank movement Up 3,139 places
2020
#15,640
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,798
-126 bearers (-6.5%)
Per 100,000 0.60
Rank movement Down 372 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #18,407 | 1,386 | 0.51 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #15,268 | 1,924 | 0.65 | +538 bearers (+38.8%) | Up 3,139 places |
| 2020 | #15,640 | 1,798 | 0.60 | -126 bearers (-6.5%) | Down 372 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 Fausto 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 | #15,268 | #15,640 | -2.4% |
| Count | 1,924 | 1,798 | -6.5% |
| Per 100K | 0.65 | 0.60 | -7.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Fausto bearers went from 1,924 to 1,798 (-6.5% change). The surname moved down 372 positions in the national ranking, going from #15,268 to #15,640.
FAQ
Fausto surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Fausto?
Name Census estimates that about 2,062 living Americans carry the surname Fausto. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 166,224 residents.
How common is Fausto?
Fausto ranks #15,640 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.60 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 1,798 people with the surname Fausto. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,062), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.6 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.60 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 Fausto.
Has Fausto become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Fausto went from 1,924 recorded bearers to 1,798. That is a decrease of 126 (-6.5%). In the national ranking it fell from #15,268 to #15,640.
What does the Census say about the background of Fausto?
Among Census respondents with the surname Fausto, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 82.4%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (8.5%) and White (8.0%). 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?
Hispanic is the largest self-reported group for the surname Fausto in the 2020 Census, accounting for 82.4% (1,482 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Fausto appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Hispanic (82.4%), Asian/Pacific Islander (8.5%), White (8.0%). 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 Fausto (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 Fausto mean?
A surname originating from the Latin name "Faustus", meaning lucky or auspicious. 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 Fausto (0.60 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 Americans have the surname Fausto?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.