2000
#12,288
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,321
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.86
Rare Last name
Few
An English surname derived from the Old French word "feu," meaning "fire," possibly referring to a fiery-tempered person.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,518 Americans carry the last name Few. That puts it at #13,300 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.73 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 136,122 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Few 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 Few with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
2.5K
1 in 136,122
Census rank
#13,300
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.2K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,196 bearers of the surname Few in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.73 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 13300th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Few, the largest self-reported group is White at 61.7%. The next largest groups are Black (30.1%) and Two or More Races (4.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of 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.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Few
Among Census respondents with the surname Few, the largest self-reported group is White at 61.7%. The next largest groups are Black (30.1%) and Two or More Races (4.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Few 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 Few surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White61.7% · 1,354
- Black or African American30.1% · 662
- Two or more races4.7% · 103
- Hispanic or Latino2.1% · 47
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 18
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.5% · 12
Timeline
Historical Census data for Few
Few 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
#13,306
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,292
-29 bearers (-1.2%)
Per 100,000 0.78
Rank movement Down 1,018 places
2020
#13,300
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,196
-96 bearers (-4.2%)
Per 100,000 0.73
Rank movement Up 6 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #12,288 | 2,321 | 0.86 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #13,306 | 2,292 | 0.78 | -29 bearers (-1.2%) | Down 1,018 places |
| 2020 | #13,300 | 2,196 | 0.73 | -96 bearers (-4.2%) | Up 6 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 Few 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 | #13,306 | #13,300 | 0.0% |
| Count | 2,292 | 2,196 | -4.2% |
| Per 100K | 0.78 | 0.73 | -5.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Few bearers went from 2,292 to 2,196 (-4.2% change). The surname moved up 6 positions in the national ranking, going from #13,306 to #13,300.
FAQ
Few surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Few?
Name Census estimates that about 2,518 living Americans carry the surname Few. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 136,122 residents.
How common is Few?
Few ranks #13,300 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.73 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 2,196 people with the surname Few. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,518), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.73 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.73 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Few.
Has Few become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Few went from 2,292 recorded bearers to 2,196. That is a decrease of 96 (-4.2%). In the national ranking it rose from #13,306 to #13,300.
What does the Census say about the background of Few?
Among Census respondents with the surname Few, the largest self-reported group is White at 61.7%. The next largest groups are Black (30.1%) and Two or More Races (4.7%). 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 Few in the 2020 Census, accounting for 61.7% (1,354 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Few appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (61.7%), Black (30.1%), Two or More Races (4.7%). 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 Few (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 Few mean?
An English surname derived from the Old French word "feu," meaning "fire," possibly referring to a fiery-tempered 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 Few (0.73 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 have the surname Few?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.