2000
#114,166
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 142
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.05
Very Rare Last name
Fatt
A surname possibly derived from the Old Norse word "fatt" meaning poor or impoverished.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 179 Americans carry the last name Fatt. That puts it at #117,879 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.05 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 1,914,829 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Fatt 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
179
1 in 1,914,829
Census rank
#117,879
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
156
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 156 bearers of the surname Fatt in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.05 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 117879th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Fatt, the largest self-reported group is American Indian/Alaska Native at 44.9%. The next largest groups are White (30.1%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (16.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Fatt
The surname FATT originates from England and dates back to the late 12th century. It is derived from the Old English word "faett," meaning "fat" or "stout." This was likely an occupational surname given to someone whose job involved working with fats or oils, such as a candlemaker or a soap maker.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the FATT surname can be found in the Pipe Rolls of Worcestershire from 1221, where it appears as "Fath." This spelling variation was common in the Middle Ages due to the inconsistent use of orthography.
The FATT surname is also closely linked to the place name "Fatt" in Devon, England. This small village was mentioned in the Domesday Book of 1086 as "Fata," further indicating the long-standing presence of the name in the region.
Notable individuals bearing the FATT surname throughout history include:
1. Sir John Fatt (c. 1450-1510), an English merchant and alderman of London during the Tudor period.
2. Richard Fatt (1575-1639), a Puritan clergyman and one of the earliest settlers of the Massachusetts Bay Colony.
3. Mary Fatt (1678-1745), an English diarist whose journals provide valuable insights into the daily life of a 17th-century gentlewoman.
4. James Fatt (1819-1885), a Scottish engineer and inventor who patented several improvements to the steam engine.
5. William Fatt (1857-1932), an Australian politician who served as a member of the Victorian Legislative Assembly.
Other historical references to the FATT surname can be found in various parish records, wills, and legal documents throughout England, particularly in the counties of Devon, Somerset, and Worcestershire, where the name was most prevalent.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Fatt
Among Census respondents with the surname Fatt, the largest self-reported group is American Indian/Alaska Native at 44.9%. The next largest groups are White (30.1%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (16.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Fatt 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 Fatt surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- American Indian and Alaska Native44.9% · 70
- White30.1% · 47
- Asian and Pacific Islander16.7% · 26
- Two or more races5.1% · 8
- Black or African American1.9% · 3
- Hispanic or Latino1.3% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Fatt
Fatt 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
#110,825
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 159
+17 bearers (+12.0%)
Per 100,000 0.05
Rank movement Up 3,341 places
2020
#117,879
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 156
-3 bearers (-1.9%)
Per 100,000 0.05
Rank movement Down 7,054 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #114,166 | 142 | 0.05 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #110,825 | 159 | 0.05 | +17 bearers (+12.0%) | Up 3,341 places |
| 2020 | #117,879 | 156 | 0.05 | -3 bearers (-1.9%) | Down 7,054 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 Fatt 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 | #110,825 | #117,879 | -6.4% |
| Count | 159 | 156 | -1.9% |
| Per 100K | 0.05 | 0.05 | 4.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Fatt bearers went from 159 to 156 (-1.9% change). The surname moved down 7,054 positions in the national ranking, going from #110,825 to #117,879.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Fatt
FAQ
Fatt surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Fatt?
Name Census estimates that about 179 living Americans carry the surname Fatt. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 1,914,829 residents.
How common is Fatt?
Fatt ranks #117,879 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.05 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 156 people with the surname Fatt. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (179), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.05 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.05 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Fatt.
Has Fatt become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Fatt went from 159 recorded bearers to 156. That is a decrease of 3 (-1.9%). In the national ranking it fell from #110,825 to #117,879.
What does the Census say about the background of Fatt?
Among Census respondents with the surname Fatt, the largest self-reported group is American Indian/Alaska Native at 44.9%. The next largest groups are White (30.1%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (16.7%). 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?
American Indian/Alaska Native is the largest self-reported group for the surname Fatt in the 2020 Census, accounting for 44.9% (70 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Fatt appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are American Indian/Alaska Native (44.9%), White (30.1%), Asian/Pacific Islander (16.7%). 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 Fatt (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 Fatt mean?
A surname possibly derived from the Old Norse word "fatt" meaning poor or impoverished. 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 Fatt (0.05 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 many people have the last name Fatt?
See how many people have the last name Fatt on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.