2000
#20,260
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,222
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.45
Rare Last name
Favre
Derived from the French word "fèvre," a surname denoting an occupation related to blacksmithing or metalworking.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 1,479 Americans carry the last name Favre. That puts it at #20,760 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.43 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 231,747 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Favre 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
1.5K
1 in 231,747
Census rank
#20,760
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.4
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
1.3K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 1,290 bearers of the surname Favre in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.43 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 20760th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Favre, the largest self-reported group is White at 84.7%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.7%) and Hispanic (4.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Favre
The surname Favre originated in France, likely during the Medieval period. It is derived from the Old French word "favre," which means "blacksmith" or "smith." This suggests that the name was initially an occupational name given to someone who worked as a blacksmith or in a related metalworking profession.
The earliest recorded instances of the name Favre can be traced back to the 12th century in various regions of France, including Normandy, Burgundy, and Franche-Comté. It was often spelled as "Fèvre" or "Lefèvre" in its early forms.
In the 13th century, the name appeared in the Cartulaire de Louviers, a collection of charters and deeds from the Louviers region of Normandy. This document mentions individuals with the surname Favre, indicating the presence of the name in that area during that time period.
One notable historical figure with the surname Favre was Pierre Favre (1506-1546), a French Catholic priest and one of the founding members of the Society of Jesus (Jesuits). He was born in the village of Villaret, Savoy, and played a significant role in the early development of the Jesuit order.
Another prominent individual was Claude Favre de Vaugelas (1585-1650), a French grammarian and philologist who is considered one of the founders of modern French grammar. He was born in Bussy-le-Grand, Burgundy, and his work on standardizing the French language had a lasting impact.
In the 17th century, Jacques Favre (1609-1667), a Swiss mathematician and astronomer, made significant contributions to the field of mathematics. He was born in Geneva and is known for his work on the calculation of logarithms and the development of analytical geometry.
The name Favre was also associated with various place names throughout France, such as Favrieux, a commune in the Isère department, and Favresse, a village in the Meuse department.
Other notable individuals with the surname Favre include Jean-Baptiste Favre (1742-1808), a French geologist and mineralogist who made significant contributions to the study of volcanoes and the classification of minerals, and Alphonse Favre (1815-1890), a Swiss geologist and paleontologist known for his work on the geology of the Alps.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Favre
Among Census respondents with the surname Favre, the largest self-reported group is White at 84.7%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.7%) and Hispanic (4.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Favre 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 Favre surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White84.7% · 1,093
- Two or more races4.7% · 61
- Hispanic or Latino4.5% · 58
- Black or African American3.3% · 43
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.4% · 18
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.3% · 17
Timeline
Historical Census data for Favre
Favre 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
#21,717
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,198
-24 bearers (-2.0%)
Per 100,000 0.41
Rank movement Down 1,457 places
2020
#20,760
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,290
+92 bearers (+7.7%)
Per 100,000 0.43
Rank movement Up 957 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #20,260 | 1,222 | 0.45 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #21,717 | 1,198 | 0.41 | -24 bearers (-2.0%) | Down 1,457 places |
| 2020 | #20,760 | 1,290 | 0.43 | +92 bearers (+7.7%) | Up 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 Favre 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 | #21,717 | #20,760 | 4.4% |
| Count | 1,198 | 1,290 | 7.7% |
| Per 100K | 0.41 | 0.43 | 5.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Favre bearers went from 1,198 to 1,290 (+7.7% change). The surname moved up 957 positions in the national ranking, going from #21,717 to #20,760.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Favre
FAQ
Favre surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Favre?
Name Census estimates that about 1,479 living Americans carry the surname Favre. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 231,747 residents.
How common is Favre?
Favre ranks #20,760 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.43 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 1,290 people with the surname Favre. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (1,479), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.43 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.43 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 Favre.
Has Favre become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Favre went from 1,198 recorded bearers to 1,290. That is an increase of 92 (+7.7%). In the national ranking it rose from #21,717 to #20,760.
What does the Census say about the background of Favre?
Among Census respondents with the surname Favre, the largest self-reported group is White at 84.7%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.7%) and Hispanic (4.5%). 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 Favre in the 2020 Census, accounting for 84.7% (1,093 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Favre appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (84.7%), Two or More Races (4.7%), Hispanic (4.5%). 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 Favre (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 Favre mean?
Derived from the French word "fèvre," a surname denoting an occupation related to blacksmithing or metalworking. 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 Favre (0.43 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 Favre?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.