2000
#2,225
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 14,992
First available Census row
Per 100,000 5.56
Uncommon Last name
Fay
A surname of Irish and English origin, derived from Middle English "fey," meaning "fairy" or "supernatural being."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 16,206 Americans carry the last name Fay. That puts it at #2,493 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 4.73 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 21,150 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Fay 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 Fay with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
16K
1 in 21,150
Census rank
#2,493
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
4.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
14K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 14,132 bearers of the surname Fay in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 4.73 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 2493rd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Fay, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.1%) and Two or More Races (3.2%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Fay
The surname FAY originated from the medieval English occupational name denoting someone who worked as a fairy or who dealt in fairy-related activities. It was derived from the Old French word 'fay', which meant fairy or fay. This term traces its roots back to the Latin word 'fatum', meaning fate or destiny.
The name FAY was first recorded in England in the late 12th century. One of the earliest references to this surname can be found in the Pipe Rolls of Yorkshire from 1190, where a person named Nicholaus le Fay was mentioned.
In the 13th century, the surname FAY appeared in various records across England, such as the Curia Regis Rolls of Northamptonshire from 1221, which mentioned a person called Willelmus le Fay. Another early record is the Assize Rolls of Somerset from 1268, which referenced a person named Richard le Fay.
The name FAY was also found in the Subsidy Rolls of Staffordshire from 1327, where a person called Thomas le Fay was listed. This record provides evidence of the surname's early presence in the Midlands region of England.
One notable individual with the surname FAY was John Fay (1470-1533), an English clergyman who served as the Bishop of Coventry and Lichfield from 1519 until his death in 1533.
In the 16th century, the surname FAY appeared in various parish records across England. For instance, the parish records of St. James Garlickhythe in London mentioned the marriage of Robert Fay and Joane Walles in 1569.
Another prominent individual with the surname FAY was James Fay (1573-1654), an English lawyer and Member of Parliament who represented the borough of Lyme Regis in the English Parliament from 1624 to 1629.
In the 17th century, the surname FAY was found in various parts of England, including the counties of Somerset, Devon, and Gloucestershire. One notable individual from this period was John Fay (1639-1701), an English Quaker who was imprisoned for his religious beliefs during the 1660s.
As the centuries passed, the surname FAY spread to other parts of the British Isles and beyond, with bearers of the name settling in Scotland, Ireland, and the British colonies in North America and elsewhere.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Fay
Among Census respondents with the surname Fay, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.1%) and Two or More Races (3.2%).
The bar chart below shows how Fay 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 Fay surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White89.7% · 12,682
- Hispanic or Latino4.1% · 577
- Two or more races3.2% · 452
- Black or African American1.5% · 205
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.2% · 173
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 43
Timeline
Historical Census data for Fay
Fay 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
#2,440
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 14,849
-143 bearers (-1.0%)
Per 100,000 5.03
Rank movement Down 215 places
2020
#2,493
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 14,132
-717 bearers (-4.8%)
Per 100,000 4.73
Rank movement Down 53 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #2,225 | 14,992 | 5.56 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #2,440 | 14,849 | 5.03 | -143 bearers (-1.0%) | Down 215 places |
| 2020 | #2,493 | 14,132 | 4.73 | -717 bearers (-4.8%) | Down 53 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 Fay 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 | #2,440 | #2,493 | -2.2% |
| Count | 14,849 | 14,132 | -4.8% |
| Per 100K | 5.03 | 4.73 | -6.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Fay bearers went from 14,849 to 14,132 (-4.8% change). The surname moved down 53 positions in the national ranking, going from #2,440 to #2,493.
FAQ
Fay surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Fay?
Name Census estimates that about 16,206 living Americans carry the surname Fay. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 21,150 residents.
How common is Fay?
Fay ranks #2,493 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 4.73 per 100,000 residents, which is about 5 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 14,132 people with the surname Fay. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (16,206), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 4.73 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 4.73 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 5 of them to have the surname Fay.
Has Fay become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Fay went from 14,849 recorded bearers to 14,132. That is a decrease of 717 (-4.8%). In the national ranking it fell from #2,440 to #2,493.
What does the Census say about the background of Fay?
Among Census respondents with the surname Fay, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.1%) 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 Fay in the 2020 Census, accounting for 89.7% (12,682 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Fay appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (89.7%), Hispanic (4.1%), 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 Fay (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 Fay mean?
A surname of Irish and English origin, derived from Middle English "fey," meaning "fairy" or "supernatural being." 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 Fay (4.73 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 share the surname Fay?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.