2000
#5,218
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 6,149
First available Census row
Per 100,000 2.28
Rare Last name
Fawcett
Derived from an Old French nickname meaning "little falcon," likely referring to a keen or sharp-eyed person.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 7,306 Americans carry the last name Fawcett. That puts it at #5,279 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 2.13 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 46,914 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Fawcett 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 Fawcett with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
7.3K
1 in 46,914
Census rank
#5,279
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
2.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
6.4K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 6,371 bearers of the surname Fawcett in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 2.13 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 5279th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Fawcett, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.9%) and Two or More Races (3.2%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of 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.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Fawcett
Among Census respondents with the surname Fawcett, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.9%) and Two or More Races (3.2%).
The bar chart below shows how Fawcett 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 Fawcett surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White89.0% · 5,668
- Hispanic or Latino3.9% · 247
- Two or more races3.2% · 202
- Black or African American1.7% · 110
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.2% · 74
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.1% · 70
Timeline
Historical Census data for Fawcett
Fawcett 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
#5,454
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 6,381
+232 bearers (+3.8%)
Per 100,000 2.16
Rank movement Down 236 places
2020
#5,279
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 6,371
-10 bearers (-0.2%)
Per 100,000 2.13
Rank movement Up 175 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #5,218 | 6,149 | 2.28 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #5,454 | 6,381 | 2.16 | +232 bearers (+3.8%) | Down 236 places |
| 2020 | #5,279 | 6,371 | 2.13 | -10 bearers (-0.2%) | Up 175 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 Fawcett 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 | #5,454 | #5,279 | 3.2% |
| Count | 6,381 | 6,371 | -0.2% |
| Per 100K | 2.16 | 2.13 | -1.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Fawcett bearers went from 6,381 to 6,371 (-0.2% change). The surname moved up 175 positions in the national ranking, going from #5,454 to #5,279.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Fawcett
FAQ
Fawcett surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Fawcett?
Name Census estimates that about 7,306 living Americans carry the surname Fawcett. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 46,914 residents.
How common is Fawcett?
Fawcett ranks #5,279 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 2.13 per 100,000 residents, which is about 2 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 6,371 people with the surname Fawcett. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (7,306), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 2.13 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 2.13 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 2 of them to have the surname Fawcett.
Has Fawcett become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Fawcett went from 6,381 recorded bearers to 6,371. That is a decrease of 10 (-0.2%). In the national ranking it rose from #5,454 to #5,279.
What does the Census say about the background of Fawcett?
Among Census respondents with the surname Fawcett, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.9%) and Two or More Races (3.2%). 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 Fawcett in the 2020 Census, accounting for 89.0% (5,668 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Fawcett appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (89.0%), Hispanic (3.9%), Two or More Races (3.2%). 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 Fawcett (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 Fawcett mean?
Derived from an Old French nickname meaning "little falcon," likely referring to a keen or sharp-eyed person. 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 Fawcett (2.13 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 Fawcett?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.