2000
#9,546
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,124
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.16
Rare Last name
Firth
Habitational surname referring to someone who lived near a woodland, ford, or river crossing.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 3,334 Americans carry the last name Firth. That puts it at #10,525 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.97 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 102,806 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Firth 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.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Firth with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
3.3K
1 in 102,806
Census rank
#10,525
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.9K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,907 bearers of the surname Firth in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.97 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 10525th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Firth, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.2%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.5%) and Hispanic (3.4%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Firth
The surname Firth originates from the northern counties of England and is derived from the Old Norse word "fjörðr," meaning a small inlet or bay. It is believed to have been first used as a topographic name, referring to someone who lived near a small inlet or firth.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Firth can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, where it appears as "Frith." This document, commissioned by William the Conqueror, recorded the names and landholdings of the English nobility and commoners at the time.
During the medieval period, the name was often spelled in various ways, such as Fryth, Frith, and Fyrth, reflecting the regional variations in pronunciation and spelling. It was particularly prevalent in the northern counties of Yorkshire, Northumberland, and Durham, where many of the earliest recorded bearers of the name can be found.
In the 13th century, a notable figure named Roger de Firth was mentioned in the Pipe Rolls of Yorkshire, indicating the presence of the name in the region. The Pipe Rolls were a series of financial records kept by the English Exchequer during the Middle Ages.
In the 16th century, the surname Firth was associated with several notable individuals. One of them was John Firth (1519-1565), an English Catholic priest and martyr who was executed for his faith during the Elizabethan period.
Another prominent bearer of the name was Thomas Firth (1567-1629), an English clergyman and scholar who served as the Regius Professor of Hebrew at the University of Cambridge.
In the 18th century, the name gained recognition through the achievements of Abraham Firth (1709-1785), a prominent English industrialist and inventor who pioneered the development of the crucible steel-making process.
The 19th century saw the rise of Mark Firth (1819-1880), a British businessman and politician who co-founded the steel manufacturing company known as Firth Brown & Co., which later became part of the larger Firth Vickers Group.
One of the most famous individuals with the surname Firth is the British actor Colin Firth, born in 1960. He is renowned for his roles in various films, including "Pride and Prejudice," "The King's Speech," and "Bridget Jones's Diary," for which he received numerous accolades and awards.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Firth
Among Census respondents with the surname Firth, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.2%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.5%) and Hispanic (3.4%).
The bar chart below shows how Firth 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 Firth surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White91.2% · 2,651
- Two or more races3.5% · 103
- Hispanic or Latino3.4% · 98
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.1% · 31
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.5% · 14
- Black or African American0.3% · 10
Timeline
Historical Census data for Firth
Firth 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
#10,136
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,181
+57 bearers (+1.8%)
Per 100,000 1.08
Rank movement Down 590 places
2020
#10,525
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,907
-274 bearers (-8.6%)
Per 100,000 0.97
Rank movement Down 389 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #9,546 | 3,124 | 1.16 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #10,136 | 3,181 | 1.08 | +57 bearers (+1.8%) | Down 590 places |
| 2020 | #10,525 | 2,907 | 0.97 | -274 bearers (-8.6%) | Down 389 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 Firth 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 | #10,136 | #10,525 | -3.8% |
| Count | 3,181 | 2,907 | -8.6% |
| Per 100K | 1.08 | 0.97 | -9.9% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Firth bearers went from 3,181 to 2,907 (-8.6% change). The surname moved down 389 positions in the national ranking, going from #10,136 to #10,525.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Firth
FAQ
Firth surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Firth?
Name Census estimates that about 3,334 living Americans carry the surname Firth. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 102,806 residents.
How common is Firth?
Firth ranks #10,525 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.97 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 2,907 people with the surname Firth. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (3,334), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.97 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.97 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Firth.
Has Firth become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Firth went from 3,181 recorded bearers to 2,907. That is a decrease of 274 (-8.6%). In the national ranking it fell from #10,136 to #10,525.
What does the Census say about the background of Firth?
Among Census respondents with the surname Firth, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.2%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.5%) and Hispanic (3.4%). 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?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Firth in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.2% (2,651 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Firth appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (91.2%), Two or More Races (3.5%), Hispanic (3.4%). 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 Firth (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 Firth mean?
Habitational surname referring to someone who lived near a woodland, ford, or river crossing. 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 Firth (0.97 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 common is the surname Firth?
Find out how many people are called Firth on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.