Explore the Family Name Faye

The meaning of Faye

1. English: variant of Fay. 2. French: variant of Fay 3 or a habitational name from (La) Faye, the name of several places in various parts of France. Compare Faille 1 and Lafaye. 3. West African (mainly Senegal): from the name of the Faye clan of the Serer people, of unexplained etymology. This surname is also found among the Lebou people. Compare Fye 3 and Paye 5.

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

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

Based on the Decennial U.S. Census data, the surname Faye has increased in popularity from 2000 to 2010. In 2000, it was ranked as the 18,196th most popular surname, but by 2010, it had risen to the 16,748th position, showing a growth rate of 7.96%. The count of individuals with this surname also saw an increase of 21.06%, going from 1410 individuals in 2000 to 1707 in 2010. As a result, the proportion per 100,000 people increased to 0.58 in 2010 from 0.52 in 2000, registering an 11.54% change.

	2000	2010	Change
Rank	#18,196	#16,748	7.96%
Count	1,410	1,707	21.06%
Proportion per 100k	0.52	0.58	11.54%

Race and Ethnicity of people with the last name Faye

The Decennial U.S. Census data also provides insights into the ethnic identity associated with the surname Faye. From 2000 to 2010, there were noticeable shifts. While the Asian/Pacific Islander and American Indian and Alaskan Native categories showed minor increases, the percentage of those identifying with two or more races decreased by 58.53%. The percentage of individuals identifying as White dropped by 21.27%, while the proportion identifying as Black increased drastically by 73.37%. The Hispanic category also observed a slight increase of 18.31%.

	2000	2010	Change
White	70.99%	55.89%	-21.27%
Black	22.27%	38.61%	73.37%
Hispanic	2.13%	2.52%	18.31%
Two or More Races	3.4%	1.41%	-58.53%
Asian/Pacific Islander	0%	1.17%	0%
American Indian and Alaskan Native	0%	0.41%	0%