Explore the Family Name Fargo
The meaning of Fargo
1. Altered form of French Fargeau: from the personal name Fargeau, an old vernacular derivative of Latin Ferreolus (see Forget). 2. Variant of Vargo, a surname of Hungarian origin. 3. Americanized form of Hungarian Faragó (see Farago). History: Moses Fargo (1648–1742), reportedly a son of a Frenchman surnamed Fargeau, is recorded as having emigrated from England to CT in 1670. His descendant William Fargo (1818–81) was mayor of Buffalo, NY, in 1862–6 and, with Henry Wells, founded the Wells Fargo express company in 1844.
Dictionary of American Family Names, 2nd edition, © Oxford University Press, 2022.
How common is the last name Fargo in the United States?
Based on the Decennial U.S. Census, the popularity of the surname Fargo showed slight changes between 2000 and 2010. In 2000, Fargo was ranked 13,005 in terms of popularity and increased to 13,646 in 2010, suggesting a dip in its commonality by approximately 4.93%. However, the actual count of individuals bearing the Fargo surname rose from 2,161 in 2000 to 2,219 in 2010, indicating an increase by 2.68%. Despite this growth in absolute numbers, the proportion of people with this surname per 100,000 decreased by 6.25% over the decade.
| 2000 | 2010 | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #13,005 | #13,646 | -4.93% |
| Count | 2,161 | 2,219 | 2.68% |
| Proportion per 100k | 0.8 | 0.75 | -6.25% |
Race and Ethnicity of people with the last name Fargo
Turning to ethnicity, the data from the Decennial U.S. Census shows some shifts in the ethnic identities associated with the Fargo surname between 2000 and 2010. The largest group remained those identifying as White, comprising 92.69% in 2000 and slightly decreasing to 91.35% in 2010. Those identifying as Hispanic saw the most significant increase, from 1.02% in 2000 to 2.25% in 2010, representing a dramatic rise of 120.59%. Populations identifying as Black and American Indian and Alaskan Native also experienced growths at 26.63% and 7.39% respectively. Meanwhile, the percentages of Fargos who identified as Asian/Pacific Islander or from two or more races both declined during this period.
| 2000 | 2010 | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| White | 92.69% | 91.35% | -1.45% |
| Black | 1.99% | 2.52% | 26.63% |
| Hispanic | 1.02% | 2.25% | 120.59% |
| American Indian and Alaskan Native | 1.76% | 1.89% | 7.39% |
| Two or More Races | 1.99% | 1.44% | -27.64% |
| Asian/Pacific Islander | 0.56% | 0.54% | -3.57% |