2010
#159,712
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 101
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.03
Very Rare Last name
Fautz
A Germanic surname derived from the personal name Folko or Fulco, meaning "people" or "folk".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 117 Americans carry the last name Fautz. That puts it at #154,755 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.03 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,929,524 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Fautz 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
117
1 in 2,929,524
Census rank
#154,755
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
102
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 102 bearers of the surname Fautz in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.03 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 154755th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Fautz, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (9.8%) and Black (1.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Fautz
The surname FAUTZ is believed to have originated in Germany, specifically in the region of Rhineland-Palatinate. It is thought to have derived from the Old German word "falz," which means "fold" or "crease." This suggests that the name may have initially referred to a profession or occupation related to folding or creasing, perhaps a tailor or a bookbinder.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the FAUTZ surname can be found in the records of the town of Deidesheim, located in the Palatinate region of Germany. In the 16th century, a family by the name of FAUTZ was documented as residing in this area. It is possible that the name had already been in use for several generations before this record.
During the 17th and 18th centuries, the FAUTZ name began to spread beyond the Palatinate region as people migrated to other parts of Germany and Europe. In 1692, a man named Johann FAUTZ was born in the town of Erbach, located in the state of Baden-Württemberg. He later became a prominent figure in the local community and served as the mayor of Erbach for several years.
Another noteworthy individual with the FAUTZ surname was Friedrich FAUTZ, who was born in 1786 in the town of Koblenz, situated along the Rhine River. Friedrich was a skilled architect and played a significant role in the reconstruction efforts following the devastation of the Napoleonic Wars in the early 19th century.
In the 19th century, the FAUTZ name also found its way to the United States through German immigration. One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname in America was in 1832, when a man named Wilhelm FAUTZ arrived in New York City from the Palatinate region of Germany. He later settled in Pennsylvania and worked as a farmer.
Another notable figure with the FAUTZ surname was Maria FAUTZ, a German-born artist who lived from 1823 to 1898. She was renowned for her intricate woodcarvings and sculptures, many of which depicted religious themes and scenes from everyday life in rural Germany.
As the FAUTZ name spread across different regions and countries, it undoubtedly underwent various spelling variations and adaptations. Some of these variations may have included FAUTZ, FAUTZSCH, FAUTZKE, and FAUTZMANN, among others. However, the core origin and meaning of the name remained connected to its Old German roots.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Fautz
Among Census respondents with the surname Fautz, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (9.8%) and Black (1.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Fautz 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 Fautz surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White89.2% · 91
- Hispanic or Latino9.8% · 10
- Black or African American1.0% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Fautz
Fautz appears in 2 published Census surname files: 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2020
#154,755
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 102
+1 bearers (+1.0%)
Per 100,000 0.03
Rank movement Up 4,957 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #159,712 | 101 | 0.03 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #154,755 | 102 | 0.03 | +1 bearers (+1.0%) | Up 4,957 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 Fautz 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 | #159,712 | #154,755 | 3.1% |
| Count | 101 | 102 | 1.0% |
| Per 100K | 0.03 | 0.03 | 13.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Fautz bearers went from 101 to 102 (+1.0% change). The surname moved up 4,957 positions in the national ranking, going from #159,712 to #154,755.
FAQ
Fautz surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Fautz?
Name Census estimates that about 117 living Americans carry the surname Fautz. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,929,524 residents.
How common is Fautz?
Fautz ranks #154,755 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.03 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 102 people with the surname Fautz. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (117), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.03 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.03 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 Fautz.
Has Fautz become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Fautz went from 101 recorded bearers to 102. That is an increase of 1 (+1.0%). In the national ranking it rose from #159,712 to #154,755.
What does the Census say about the background of Fautz?
Among Census respondents with the surname Fautz, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (9.8%) and Black (1.0%). 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 Fautz in the 2020 Census, accounting for 89.2% (91 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Fautz appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (89.2%), Hispanic (9.8%), Black (1.0%). 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 Fautz (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 Fautz mean?
A Germanic surname derived from the personal name Folko or Fulco, meaning "people" or "folk". 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 Fautz (0.03 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 Fautz?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.