2000
#135,837
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 114
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Fautt
A surname possibly derived from Old French words meaning "fault" or "defect".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 127 Americans carry the last name Fautt. 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 Fautt 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 Fautt 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 Fautt, the largest self-reported group is White at 76.6%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (11.7%) and Hispanic (9.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Fautt
The surname FAUTT is believed to have originated in Germany during the medieval period. It is derived from the Old German word "falten," which means "to fold" or "to pleat." This suggests that the name may have been initially associated with an occupation, such as a tailor or a cloth worker.
The earliest recorded instances of the name FAUTT can be traced back to the 13th century in various German regions, particularly in the areas around the Rhine River. In some historical records, the name appears with slight variations in spelling, such as FAULTT or FAULTE, reflecting the inconsistencies in written records during that time.
One notable historical reference to the name FAUTT can be found in the "Codex Diplomaticus Anhaltinus," a collection of documents from the former principality of Anhalt, dating back to the 14th century. This document mentions a certain "Johannes Fautt," a landowner in the region.
In the 16th century, the name FAUTT gained prominence with the birth of Hans Fautt (1505-1580), a German painter and engraver known for his intricate woodcuts and engravings of biblical scenes. His works were widely admired and contributed to the artistic legacy of the Renaissance period.
Another notable figure bearing the FAUTT surname was Johann Fautt (1621-1689), a German theologian and philosopher who played a significant role in the intellectual discourse of his time. He was a prolific writer and published numerous treatises on various subjects, including metaphysics and natural philosophy.
During the 18th century, the name FAUTT appeared in connection with several place names in Germany, such as Fauttdorf (now part of the town of Eisleben) and Fauttbach, a small village in the state of Hesse. These place names likely derived from the surname itself or vice versa, reflecting the historical presence of the FAUTT family in those regions.
In the 19th century, Friedrich Fautt (1785-1863), a German composer and music teacher, gained recognition for his contributions to the development of music education in Germany. His compositions, although not widely known today, were highly regarded in his time.
As the FAUTT surname spread across German-speaking regions and beyond, it underwent further variations in spelling, such as FAUT, FAUTE, or FAUTH, reflecting the linguistic and cultural diversity of the areas where it was adopted.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Fautt
Among Census respondents with the surname Fautt, the largest self-reported group is White at 76.6%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (11.7%) and Hispanic (9.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Fautt 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 Fautt surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White76.6% · 85
- Two or more races11.7% · 13
- Hispanic or Latino9.0% · 10
- Asian and Pacific Islander2.7% · 3
Timeline
Historical Census data for Fautt
Fautt 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
#123,064
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 140
+26 bearers (+22.8%)
Per 100,000 0.05
Rank movement Up 12,773 places
2020
#148,665
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 111
-29 bearers (-20.7%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 25,601 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #135,837 | 114 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #123,064 | 140 | 0.05 | +26 bearers (+22.8%) | Up 12,773 places |
| 2020 | #148,665 | 111 | 0.04 | -29 bearers (-20.7%) | Down 25,601 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 Fautt 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 | #123,064 | #148,665 | -20.8% |
| Count | 140 | 111 | -20.7% |
| Per 100K | 0.05 | 0.04 | -25.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Fautt bearers went from 140 to 111 (-20.7% change). The surname moved down 25,601 positions in the national ranking, going from #123,064 to #148,665.
FAQ
Fautt surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Fautt?
Name Census estimates that about 127 living Americans carry the surname Fautt. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,698,853 residents.
How common is Fautt?
Fautt 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 Fautt. 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 Fautt.
Has Fautt become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Fautt went from 140 recorded bearers to 111. That is a decrease of 29 (-20.7%). In the national ranking it fell from #123,064 to #148,665.
What does the Census say about the background of Fautt?
Among Census respondents with the surname Fautt, the largest self-reported group is White at 76.6%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (11.7%) and Hispanic (9.0%). 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 Fautt in the 2020 Census, accounting for 76.6% (85 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Fautt appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (76.6%), Two or More Races (11.7%), Hispanic (9.0%). 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 Fautt (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 Fautt mean?
A surname possibly derived from Old French words meaning "fault" or "defect". 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 Fautt (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 Fautt?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.