2000
#7,896
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,889
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.44
Rare Last name
Favors
An English surname derived from the Old French word "favre," meaning a craftsman or smith.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 4,759 Americans carry the last name Favors. That puts it at #7,691 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.39 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 72,022 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Favors 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
4.8K
1 in 72,022
Census rank
#7,691
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.4
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
4.2K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 4,150 bearers of the surname Favors in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.39 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 7691st position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Favors, the largest self-reported group is Black at 75.2%. The next largest groups are White (17.8%) and Two or More Races (4.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Favors
The surname Favors has its origins in medieval England, dating back to the 13th century. It is believed to have derived from the Old French word "favour," which itself stems from the Latin "favor," meaning "grace" or "kindness." The name may have initially been used as a nickname for someone who enjoyed special favors or privileges from a lord or patron.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Favors can be found in the Hundred Rolls of Huntingdonshire from 1273, where a Roger Favors is mentioned. This suggests that the name was already in use in the latter part of the 13th century in the English county of Huntingdonshire.
In the 14th century, the name appeared in various spellings, such as Favers, Favors, and Fauvers, indicating the lack of standardized spelling during that era. The Subsidy Rolls of Worcestershire from 1327 mention a John Favors, while the Court Rolls of the Manor of Wakefield in Yorkshire from 1379 record a William Fauvers.
The Favors surname is also linked to certain place names in England. For instance, the village of Favors in Gloucestershire may have influenced the name's development in that region. Similarly, the hamlet of Faver in Somerset could have contributed to the surname's local variations.
Throughout history, several notable individuals have borne the surname Favors. One of the earliest was Sir John Favors (1320-1392), a English knight and landowner from Oxfordshire. Another was William Favors (1490-1558), a prominent lawyer and Member of Parliament during the reign of King Henry VIII.
In the 17th century, Thomas Favors (1610-1681) was a respected clergyman and author, known for his works on theology and philosophy. During the same period, the explorer and navigator John Favors (1635-1701) made significant contributions to the mapping of the Pacific Ocean and the exploration of the American West Coast.
The 19th century saw the rise of the renowned artist and illustrator William Favors (1820-1892), whose works were widely acclaimed for their attention to detail and vivid depictions of everyday life in Victorian England.
These examples demonstrate the diverse backgrounds and achievements of individuals bearing the surname Favors throughout the centuries, reflecting the name's enduring presence in different regions of England and its rich historical significance.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Favors
Among Census respondents with the surname Favors, the largest self-reported group is Black at 75.2%. The next largest groups are White (17.8%) and Two or More Races (4.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Favors 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 Favors surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Black or African American75.2% · 3,122
- White17.8% · 740
- Two or more races4.0% · 167
- Hispanic or Latino2.5% · 104
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.3% · 12
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.1% · 5
Timeline
Historical Census data for Favors
Favors 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
#7,730
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,295
+406 bearers (+10.4%)
Per 100,000 1.46
Rank movement Up 166 places
2020
#7,691
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,150
-145 bearers (-3.4%)
Per 100,000 1.39
Rank movement Up 39 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #7,896 | 3,889 | 1.44 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #7,730 | 4,295 | 1.46 | +406 bearers (+10.4%) | Up 166 places |
| 2020 | #7,691 | 4,150 | 1.39 | -145 bearers (-3.4%) | Up 39 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 Favors 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 | #7,730 | #7,691 | 0.5% |
| Count | 4,295 | 4,150 | -3.4% |
| Per 100K | 1.46 | 1.39 | -4.9% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Favors bearers went from 4,295 to 4,150 (-3.4% change). The surname moved up 39 positions in the national ranking, going from #7,730 to #7,691.
FAQ
Favors surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Favors?
Name Census estimates that about 4,759 living Americans carry the surname Favors. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 72,022 residents.
How common is Favors?
Favors ranks #7,691 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.39 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 4,150 people with the surname Favors. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (4,759), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.39 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.39 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 Favors.
Has Favors become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Favors went from 4,295 recorded bearers to 4,150. That is a decrease of 145 (-3.4%). In the national ranking it rose from #7,730 to #7,691.
What does the Census say about the background of Favors?
Among Census respondents with the surname Favors, the largest self-reported group is Black at 75.2%. The next largest groups are White (17.8%) and Two or More Races (4.0%). 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?
Black is the largest self-reported group for the surname Favors in the 2020 Census, accounting for 75.2% (3,122 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Favors appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Black (75.2%), White (17.8%), Two or More Races (4.0%). 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 Favors (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 Favors mean?
An English surname derived from the Old French word "favre," meaning a craftsman or smith. 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 Favors (1.39 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 common is the surname Favors?
See how many Americans have the surname Favors on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.