2000
#149,328
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 101
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Favell
An English surname derived from the Norman French word "favel," meaning a "yellow-brown" or "bay" color.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 126 Americans carry the last name Favell. That puts it at #149,446 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,720,273 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Favell 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.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Favell with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
126
1 in 2,720,273
Census rank
#149,446
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
110
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 110 bearers of the surname Favell in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 149446th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Favell, the largest self-reported group is White at 59.1%. The next largest groups are Black (23.6%) and Two or More Races (13.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Favell
The surname Favell is of English origin and dates back to the late medieval period. It is believed to have derived from the Old French word 'favele', which means 'bean field' or 'bean patch'. This suggests that the name may have initially referred to someone who lived near or worked in a bean field.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Hundred Rolls of Bedfordshire from 1273, where it appears as 'Favill'. The spelling variations during this period included Favell, Favill, Favyll, and Favel.
In the 14th century, records show the name appearing in various parts of England, including Yorkshire, Staffordshire, and Essex. One notable bearer of the name was John Favell, who was born in Oxfordshire around 1380 and served as a member of the English Parliament.
The Favell surname also has connections to several place names in England, such as Favell's Green in Gloucestershire and Favell's Farm in Berkshire. These locations likely derived their names from early settlers or landowners with the Favell surname.
Among the prominent individuals with the Favell surname throughout history are:
1. Sir John Favell (c. 1520 - 1592), an English politician and landowner who served as Sheriff of Lincolnshire.
2. Richard Favell (1617 - 1674), an English clergyman and author who wrote several religious works.
3. Thomas Favell (1725 - 1804), a British architect known for his work on several churches and country houses in Wiltshire.
4. William Favell (1809 - 1890), an English artist and engraver famous for his landscapes and architectural prints.
5. Mary Favell (1845 - 1922), a British educator and feminist who advocated for women's rights and access to higher education.
While the Favell surname has its roots in medieval England, it has since spread to other parts of the world, including North America and Australia, through migration and settlement patterns.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Favell
Among Census respondents with the surname Favell, the largest self-reported group is White at 59.1%. The next largest groups are Black (23.6%) and Two or More Races (13.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Favell 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 Favell surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White59.1% · 65
- Black or African American23.6% · 26
- Two or more races13.6% · 15
- American Indian and Alaska Native2.7% · 3
- Hispanic or Latino0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Favell
Favell 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
#148,347
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 111
+10 bearers (+9.9%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 981 places
2020
#149,446
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 110
-1 bearers (-0.9%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 1,099 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #149,328 | 101 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #148,347 | 111 | 0.04 | +10 bearers (+9.9%) | Up 981 places |
| 2020 | #149,446 | 110 | 0.04 | -1 bearers (-0.9%) | Down 1,099 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 Favell 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 | #148,347 | #149,446 | -0.7% |
| Count | 111 | 110 | -0.9% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -8.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Favell bearers went from 111 to 110 (-0.9% change). The surname moved down 1,099 positions in the national ranking, going from #148,347 to #149,446.
FAQ
Favell surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Favell?
Name Census estimates that about 126 living Americans carry the surname Favell. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,720,273 residents.
How common is Favell?
Favell ranks #149,446 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 110 people with the surname Favell. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (126), 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 Favell.
Has Favell become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Favell went from 111 recorded bearers to 110. That is a decrease of 1 (-0.9%). In the national ranking it fell from #148,347 to #149,446.
What does the Census say about the background of Favell?
Among Census respondents with the surname Favell, the largest self-reported group is White at 59.1%. The next largest groups are Black (23.6%) and Two or More Races (13.6%). 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 Favell in the 2020 Census, accounting for 59.1% (65 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Favell appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (59.1%), Black (23.6%), Two or More Races (13.6%). 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 Favell (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 Favell mean?
An English surname derived from the Norman French word "favel," meaning a "yellow-brown" or "bay" color. 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 Favell (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 Americans have the surname Favell?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.