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

Few, 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 Few surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Few in America

Few is the 13306th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Few surname appeared 2,292 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 1 people would have the surname Few.

We can also compare 2010 data for Few 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 Few

The surname "Few" originated in England during the late medieval period, likely derived from the Old English word "feoh" or "feo," meaning cattle or livestock. This suggests that the name may have been an occupational surname initially used to identify someone who worked with cattle or livestock.

The name "Few" can be found in various early records and documents from England, such as the Hundred Rolls of Bedfordshire from 1275, which mentions a "William le Fewe." The Subsidy Rolls of Sussex from 1296 also record a "John le Feu."

One of the earliest known references to the name "Few" comes from the Pipe Rolls of Staffordshire in 1199, which mention a "Robert le Few." This indicates that the surname was already in use by the late 12th century.

In the 14th century, the name appears in the Lay Subsidy Rolls of Worcestershire, where a "Thomas le Fewe" is listed. The Subsidy Rolls of Sussex from 1332 also mention a "John le Feu."

The name "Few" may also have been influenced by place names or older spellings of place names. For example, the village of Few in Gloucestershire could have contributed to the surname's development.

One notable figure in history with the surname "Few" was John Few (1568-1623), an English politician who served as a Member of Parliament for Northampton in the early 17th century.

Another prominent individual was Sir William Few (1619-1695), an English lawyer and politician who served as a Member of Parliament for Westbury and later as a judge.

In the 18th century, Samuel Few (1731-1805) was a notable American planter and politician from Georgia, who served as a delegate to the Continental Congress.

Ignatius Few (1759-1828) was an American soldier and politician from Maryland, who fought in the American Revolutionary War and later served as a member of the United States House of Representatives.

Benjamin Few (1777-1842) was an American lawyer and politician from Georgia, who served as a United States Senator and later as a judge on the Superior Court of Georgia.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Few

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

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 Few 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 Few 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 Few was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

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

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