Find out how popular the last name Fawcett is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Fawcett.

Fawcett, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Fawcett surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Fawcett in America

Fawcett is the 5454th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Fawcett surname appeared 6,381 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 2 people would have the surname Fawcett.

We can also compare 2010 data for Fawcett to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name Fawcett

The surname Fawcett is of English origin, derived from the Old French word "faucet," meaning a falcon or small hawk. It is an occupational surname that initially referred to a person who trained or cared for falcons, a highly esteemed profession during the medieval period when falconry was a popular sport among the nobility.

The name can be traced back to the 12th century, with early records showing variations such as Faucet, Faucett, and Fawcett. One of the earliest known references is found in the Pipe Rolls of Gloucestershire from 1195, where a person named William Faucet is mentioned.

In the Hundred Rolls of 1273, there is a record of a Richard Faucet residing in Oxfordshire. The Fawcett surname is also documented in the Subsidy Rolls of Yorkshire from the late 13th century, indicating its presence in various regions of England.

The Fawcetts were particularly prevalent in the northern counties of England, such as Yorkshire, Durham, and Northumberland. This is likely due to the popularity of falconry among the aristocracy in those areas during the Middle Ages.

One notable figure from history bearing the Fawcett surname is Sir William Fawcett (1460-1548), a member of the English gentry and a supporter of the House of York during the Wars of the Roses. He was knighted by Edward IV and served as High Sheriff of Yorkshire.

Another significant individual was Nathaniel Fawcett (1738-1805), an English clergyman and poet who served as the rector of Scaleby in Cumberland. He was known for his poetic works, including "The Village Curate" and "The Parochial Minister."

In the 19th century, Henry Fawcett (1833-1884) was a prominent British politician, economist, and academic. He was blinded in an accident at the age of 25 but went on to become a professor of political economy at Cambridge University and a Member of Parliament.

Benjamin Fawcett (1808-1893) was an English Wesleyan minister and author who wrote several influential religious works, including "The Constitution and Discipline of Wesleyan Methodism" and "The Provincial Wesleyan Kalendar."

Lastly, Millicent Garrett Fawcett (1847-1929) was a pioneering British suffragist and campaigner for women's rights. She played a crucial role in the women's suffrage movement and served as the president of the National Union of Women's Suffrage Societies from 1897 to 1919.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Fawcett

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Fawcett.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Fawcett was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Fawcett has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Fawcett was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Fawcett, please contact us.

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