Explore the Family Name Fairbairn

The meaning of Fairbairn

Scottish: nickname from Older Scots fair bairn ‘fair child’ (from Middle English fair ‘fair, beautiful; light of complexion or color of hair or eyes’ + barn ‘child’). This surname may have become confused with Fairburn and Freeborn.

Dictionary of American Family Names, 2nd edition, © Oxford University Press, 2022.

How common is the last name Fairbairn in the United States?

Based on the Decennial U.S. Census data, the popularity of the surname Fairbairn has seen minor fluctuations from 2000 to 2010. Though it dropped slightly in rank from 19,775 to 20,274, representing a slight decrease of 2.52%, the actual count of individuals carrying the Fairbairn surname increased by 4.13% (from 1,260 to 1,312). However, when considering the proportion per 100k, there was a decline of 6.38%.

	2000	2010	Change
Rank	#19,775	#20,274	-2.52%
Count	1,260	1,312	4.13%
Proportion per 100k	0.47	0.44	-6.38%

Race and Ethnicity of people with the last name Fairbairn

Regarding the ethnic identity associated with the surname Fairbairn, the Decennial U.S. Census data reveals some changes between 2000 and 2010. The highest proportion of those with the surname identified as White, though there was a small decline of 2.59%. Notably, there were increases in other categories. Individuals who identified with two or more races grew from 1.51% to 2.52%, an increase of 66.89%. Similarly, those who identified as Hispanic increased from 1.35% to 2.52%, which is a significant growth rate of 86.67%. Black identification also rose from 1.75% to 2.44%, a growth of 39.43%. There were no recorded figures for Asian/Pacific Islander and American Indian and Alaskan Native identities.

	2000	2010	Change
White	94.21%	91.77%	-2.59%
Two or More Races	1.51%	2.52%	66.89%
Hispanic	1.35%	2.52%	86.67%
Black	1.75%	2.44%	39.43%
Asian/Pacific Islander	0%	0%	0%
American Indian and Alaskan Native	0%	0%	0%