Fairbanks
Distinguished from residing near a meadow on the side of a river.
Name Census estimates that about 0 living Americans carry the first name Fairbanks. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Fairbanks today is around 0 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Fairbanks births was 1904 (6 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Fairbanks. Below you will find a gender breakdown showing how the name splits between male and female registrations, a year-by-year popularity chart stretching back to 1880, decade-level totals, the top US states for this name, its meaning and etymology, and a set of frequently asked questions with data-backed answers.
Key insights
- • Fewer than 100 living Americans are believed to carry the name Fairbanks. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
0
~ - Americans
Peak year
1904
6 babies that year
Average age
-
1915 SSA rank
#4,020
Tracked since 1904
Popularity
Fairbanks: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Fairbanks from the 1900s through to the 1910s, spanning 2 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1900s, with 6 total registrations. The name continues to be given at rates close to its all-time high, suggesting it has not yet fallen out of fashion.
Babies born per year
Decades
Fairbanks by decade
The table below breaks the full SSA timeline into ten-year windows. Each row shows how many male and female babies were given the name Fairbanks during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Origin
Meaning and history of Fairbanks
The given name Fairbanks is a relatively modern name that emerged in the English language during the late 19th century. It is a locational surname that originated from the place name "Fairbanks" in Lancashire, England. The name is thought to be derived from the Old English words "faeger" meaning "fair" and "banke" meaning "ridge or slope," referring to a fair or beautiful ridge or hillside.
While the name itself does not have a long historical tradition, it gained prominence in the early 20th century due to the fame of the American actor and filmmaker Douglas Fairbanks (1883-1939). Fairbanks was one of the most popular and influential actors of the silent film era, known for his swashbuckling roles and athletic stunts. His popularity helped to popularize the name Fairbanks as a given name, particularly in the United States.
One of the earliest recorded uses of the name Fairbanks as a given name was for the American businessman and philanthropist Charles Warren Fairbanks (1852-1918). He served as the 26th Vice President of the United States under President Theodore Roosevelt from 1905 to 1909.
Another notable bearer of the name was the British actor and filmmaker Douglas Fairbanks Jr. (1909-2000), the son of Douglas Fairbanks Sr. He had a successful career in Hollywood and is perhaps best known for his role in the classic film "The Prisoner of Zenda" (1937).
In the realm of sports, Fairbanks is the given name of Fairbanks Morse (1830-1900), an American engineer and industrialist who founded the Fairbanks Morse Company, which manufactured scales and engines.
Additionally, Fairbanks is the given name of Fairbanks Valdes (1907-1987), a Cuban-American actor and singer who appeared in numerous Hollywood films and television shows throughout the mid-20th century.
While the name Fairbanks may have originated from a geographical location, it has taken on a distinct identity as a given name, particularly in the English-speaking world, thanks to the influence of notable individuals who have borne this name throughout history.
People
Fairbanks + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Fairbanks as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with F
Other first names starting with F with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Fairbanks: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Fairbanks?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 0 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Fairbanks going back to 1880 and adjusting each cohort for expected survival using CDC actuarial life tables. The result is an age-weighted living-bearer count, not a raw birth total. That works out to about - US residents.
Is Fairbanks a common name?
We classify Fairbanks as "Very Rare". It ranks above 2.9% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 11 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Fairbanks most popular?
The single biggest year for Fairbanks was 1904, when 6 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Fairbanks is about 0 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
What does the SSA popularity chart show?
The chart tracks births, not the number of people alive with the name today. Each point shows how many babies were given the name Fairbanks in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Fairbanks a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Fairbanks in the SSA data are male. You can see the full per-sex comparison in the gender distribution section above, which includes the latest year rank, birth count, and peak year for each sex.
Is Fairbanks still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Fairbanks in 2024, and the page above shows its latest-year rank where available. A name can be well past its peak and still remain in steady use, especially if it built up a large population over earlier decades.
Why can a name have a lot of living bearers even if it is not trendy now?
Because living-bearer counts and current baby-name popularity measure different things. A name like Fairbanks can build up a very large population over many decades, even if fewer parents are choosing it now than they did at its peak.
Where does this data come from?
First-name figures come from the Social Security Administration's national baby name files, which cover every name on a birth certificate from 1880 to 2024. Living-bearer estimates layer in CDC actuarial life tables broken out by sex to account for mortality. The population baseline (342,754,338) is the Census Bureau's latest national estimate. You can read the full calculation on our methodology page.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only covers names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files do not have a published Census demographic snapshot. In those cases, the page still shows the SSA trend, gender history, and state data.
How many people share the name Fairbanks?
Want to know how many people have the name Fairbanks? HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, puts the living-bearer count front and centre.