2000
#4,080
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 8,031
First available Census row
Per 100,000 2.98
Rare Last name
Fuqua
French toponymic surname derived from a place name meaning "beech tree" or "beech wood."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 9,344 Americans carry the last name Fuqua. That puts it at #4,214 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 2.73 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 36,682 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Fuqua 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
9.3K
1 in 36,682
Census rank
#4,214
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
2.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
8.1K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 8,148 bearers of the surname Fuqua in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 2.73 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 4214th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Fuqua, the largest self-reported group is White at 67.5%. The next largest groups are Black (23.4%) and Two or More Races (4.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Fuqua
The surname Fuqua is of French origin, derived from the Old French word "fouque" or "foucque," meaning a type of seabird or a marine duck. It is believed to have originated as a nickname or a descriptive name for someone who exhibited characteristics resembling a seabird, such as a quick or agile demeanor.
The earliest recorded use of the name Fuqua dates back to the 13th century in the region of Normandy, France. It is possible that the name was initially adopted by families living in coastal areas or involved in fishing or maritime activities, as the association with seabirds would have been more relevant.
In the 14th century, the name Fuqua appeared in various spelling variations, including Foucque, Fouque, and Foucault, reflecting the fluid nature of surname spellings during that time period. Some of these variations were influenced by regional dialects and scribal interpretations.
One of the earliest documented references to the name Fuqua can be found in the Livre des Bourgeois d'Arras, a medieval registry of citizens from the town of Arras in northern France, dating back to the 14th century. This record mentions a certain Jean Fouque, indicating the presence of the name in that region.
As the name spread across France and into other parts of Europe, it underwent further spelling variations, such as Foucault, Foucques, and Foucques-Duparc. Notable individuals bearing this surname include the French philosopher and social theorist Michel Foucault (1926-1984), renowned for his works on power, knowledge, and discourse.
In the 17th century, the name Fuqua made its way to the British Isles, where it was anglicized and adapted to various spellings, including Foucault, Fewkes, and eventually Fuqua. One of the earliest recorded instances of the Fuqua spelling can be found in the parish records of St. Mary's Church in Nottingham, England, where the marriage of William Fuqua was recorded in 1662.
Another notable bearer of the name Fuqua was Sir William Fuqua (1792-1857), a British military officer and colonial administrator who served as the Lieutenant Governor of Prince Edward Island from 1837 to 1843.
In the 19th century, the name Fuqua gained a presence in the United States, primarily through French and British immigrants. One of the earliest recorded instances is that of John Fuqua (1791-1859), a prominent landowner and farmer in Virginia, who played a role in the early settlement of the region.
Other notable individuals with the surname Fuqua include J. B. Fuqua (1918-2006), an American businessman and philanthropist who founded the Fuqua companies, and Fredric Fuqua (1909-1987), an American filmmaker and television director known for his work on several popular TV series in the 1960s and 1970s.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Fuqua
Among Census respondents with the surname Fuqua, the largest self-reported group is White at 67.5%. The next largest groups are Black (23.4%) and Two or More Races (4.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Fuqua 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 Fuqua surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White67.5% · 5,499
- Black or African American23.4% · 1,906
- Two or more races4.9% · 401
- Hispanic or Latino3.1% · 255
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 50
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.5% · 37
Timeline
Historical Census data for Fuqua
Fuqua 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
#4,274
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 8,312
+281 bearers (+3.5%)
Per 100,000 2.82
Rank movement Down 194 places
2020
#4,214
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 8,148
-164 bearers (-2.0%)
Per 100,000 2.73
Rank movement Up 60 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #4,080 | 8,031 | 2.98 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #4,274 | 8,312 | 2.82 | +281 bearers (+3.5%) | Down 194 places |
| 2020 | #4,214 | 8,148 | 2.73 | -164 bearers (-2.0%) | Up 60 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 Fuqua 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 | #4,274 | #4,214 | 1.4% |
| Count | 8,312 | 8,148 | -2.0% |
| Per 100K | 2.82 | 2.73 | -3.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Fuqua bearers went from 8,312 to 8,148 (-2.0% change). The surname moved up 60 positions in the national ranking, going from #4,274 to #4,214.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Fuqua
FAQ
Fuqua surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Fuqua?
Name Census estimates that about 9,344 living Americans carry the surname Fuqua. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 36,682 residents.
How common is Fuqua?
Fuqua ranks #4,214 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 2.73 per 100,000 residents, which is about 3 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 8,148 people with the surname Fuqua. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (9,344), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 2.73 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 2.73 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 3 of them to have the surname Fuqua.
Has Fuqua become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Fuqua went from 8,312 recorded bearers to 8,148. That is a decrease of 164 (-2.0%). In the national ranking it rose from #4,274 to #4,214.
What does the Census say about the background of Fuqua?
Among Census respondents with the surname Fuqua, the largest self-reported group is White at 67.5%. The next largest groups are Black (23.4%) and Two or More Races (4.9%). 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 Fuqua in the 2020 Census, accounting for 67.5% (5,499 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Fuqua appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (67.5%), Black (23.4%), Two or More Races (4.9%). 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 Fuqua (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 Fuqua mean?
French toponymic surname derived from a place name meaning "beech tree" or "beech wood." 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 Fuqua (2.73 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 Americans have the surname Fuqua?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.