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

Finlayson, 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 Finlayson surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Finlayson in America

Finlayson is the 13407th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Finlayson surname appeared 2,273 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 Finlayson.

We can also compare 2010 data for Finlayson 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 Finlayson

The surname Finlayson is of Scottish origin, deriving from the Gaelic "Fionnlagh" or "Fionnladh", meaning "fair hero" or "white warrior". It is a patronymic name, formed by adding the suffix "-son" to the personal name Finlay or Finley.

The earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the 13th century, with references to individuals bearing the name in various Scottish records and charters. One of the earliest known bearers was David Fynlaweson, who was mentioned in the Exchequer Rolls of Scotland in 1290.

In the 14th century, the name appeared in the form Finlayson in the Ragman Rolls, a collection of homage rolls compiled during the reign of Edward I of England. This document recorded the names of Scottish landowners who swore fealty to the English king in the late 13th century.

The Finlaysons were particularly prominent in the Highlands of Scotland, particularly in areas such as Perthshire and Argyllshire. The name was also associated with the Clan Mackenzie, with some Finlaysons serving as bodyguards to the chiefs of the clan.

One notable bearer of the name was John Finlayson (c. 1770-1854), a Scottish scholar and author who wrote extensively on Scottish history and literature. He also served as the librarian to the University of Edinburgh.

Another prominent figure was James Finlayson (1875-1942), a Scottish actor and comedian who appeared in numerous films during the silent and early sound eras. He is best known for his roles in comedies produced by the Hal Roach Studios, where he often played alongside Laurel and Hardy.

In the field of science, Robert Finlayson (1835-1907) was a Scottish meteorologist and astronomer who made significant contributions to the study of atmospheric dynamics and weather patterns.

The name Finlayson has also been associated with several places in Scotland, such as Finlayson's Burn in Ayrshire and Finlayson's Green in Glasgow.

Throughout its history, the surname Finlayson has been subject to various spellings, including Finlawson, Finlason, and Finleyson, reflecting regional variations and the evolution of language over time.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Finlayson

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

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

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

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