2000
#9,059
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,318
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.23
Rare Last name
Phares
A surname of French origin derived from the Greek word "pharos," meaning "lighthouse" or "beacon."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 3,629 Americans carry the last name Phares. That puts it at #9,774 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.06 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 94,449 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Phares 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.
Bearers in the US
3.6K
1 in 94,449
Census rank
#9,774
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
3.2K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 3,165 bearers of the surname Phares in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.06 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 9774th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Phares, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.3%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.9%) and Hispanic (2.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Phares
The surname Phares has its origins in France, tracing back to the early medieval period around the 11th century. It is believed to be derived from the Old French word "fere," which means "to strike" or "to smite." This could suggest that the name may have been initially given to someone who worked as a blacksmith or a soldier.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Phares can be found in the Cartulaire de l'Abbaye de Saint-Père de Chartres, a medieval manuscript from the 12th century. This document mentions a person named "Robertus Phares," suggesting that the name was already in use during that time.
Throughout history, there have been several notable individuals who bore the surname Phares. One such person was Jean Phares, a French soldier who fought in the Hundred Years' War during the 14th century. He was recorded as having participated in the Battle of Agincourt in 1415.
Another individual of note was Jacques Phares, a French merchant and explorer who traveled to the New World in the 16th century. He is believed to have been one of the first Europeans to establish trade connections with the indigenous populations of Canada.
In the 17th century, a man named Pierre Phares gained prominence as a master glassblower in the city of Paris. His beautiful creations were highly sought after by the French nobility, and his works can still be found in museums and private collections today.
The surname Phares also has ties to various place names throughout France. For instance, the village of Fère-en-Tardenois in the Aisne department is thought to have derived its name from the Old French word "fere," which is related to the origin of the Phares surname.
During the 18th century, a prominent figure named Étienne Phares made a name for himself as a renowned architect. He was responsible for designing several notable buildings in Paris, including the Église Saint-Roch and the Hôtel de Soubise.
As the centuries passed, the Phares name continued to be carried by individuals from various walks of life, including scholars, artists, and military leaders. While the exact origins of the surname may be lost to time, its rich history and connections to various aspects of French culture and society have endured.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Phares
Among Census respondents with the surname Phares, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.3%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.9%) and Hispanic (2.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Phares 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 Phares surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White91.3% · 2,891
- Two or more races2.9% · 92
- Hispanic or Latino2.9% · 91
- Black or African American1.9% · 61
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.5% · 16
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.4% · 14
Timeline
Historical Census data for Phares
Phares 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
#8,872
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,691
+373 bearers (+11.2%)
Per 100,000 1.25
Rank movement Up 187 places
2020
#9,774
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,165
-526 bearers (-14.3%)
Per 100,000 1.06
Rank movement Down 902 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #9,059 | 3,318 | 1.23 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #8,872 | 3,691 | 1.25 | +373 bearers (+11.2%) | Up 187 places |
| 2020 | #9,774 | 3,165 | 1.06 | -526 bearers (-14.3%) | Down 902 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 Phares 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 | #8,872 | #9,774 | -10.2% |
| Count | 3,691 | 3,165 | -14.3% |
| Per 100K | 1.25 | 1.06 | -15.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Phares bearers went from 3,691 to 3,165 (-14.3% change). The surname moved down 902 positions in the national ranking, going from #8,872 to #9,774.
FAQ
Phares surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Phares?
Name Census estimates that about 3,629 living Americans carry the surname Phares. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 94,449 residents.
How common is Phares?
Phares ranks #9,774 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.06 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 3,165 people with the surname Phares. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (3,629), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.06 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.06 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 Phares.
Has Phares become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Phares went from 3,691 recorded bearers to 3,165. That is a decrease of 526 (-14.3%). In the national ranking it fell from #8,872 to #9,774.
What does the Census say about the background of Phares?
Among Census respondents with the surname Phares, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.3%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.9%) and Hispanic (2.9%). 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 Phares in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.3% (2,891 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Phares appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (91.3%), Two or More Races (2.9%), Hispanic (2.9%). 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 Phares (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 Phares mean?
A surname of French origin derived from the Greek word "pharos," meaning "lighthouse" or "beacon." 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 Phares (1.06 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 common is the surname Phares?
Want to know how many people have the last name Phares? HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, puts the living-bearer count front and centre.