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Fairfax Family History

Fairfax Name Meaning

English: nickname for someone with beautiful long hair from Middle English fair fax ‘beautiful tresses’. This was a common descriptive phrase in Middle English: the alliterative poem Sir Gawain and the Green Knight refers to ‘fair fanning fax’ encircling the shoulders of the doughty warrior.

Source: Dictionary of American Family Names 2nd edition, 2022


Similar surnames: Fair, Fairey, Fairman, Farman, Fairall, Farrar, Fairbank, Havran

Search for a relative to learn more about your family history.

Hint: Try searching for a relative alive in 1940.

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Where is the Fairfax family from?

You can see how Fairfax families moved over time by selecting different census years. The Fairfax family name was found in the USA, the UK, Canada, and Scotland between 1840 and 1920. The most Fairfax families were found in USA in 1880. In 1840 there were 19 Fairfax families living in Virginia. This was about 76% of all the recorded Fairfax's in USA. Virginia had the highest population of Fairfax families in 1840.
Use census records and voter lists to see where families with the Fairfax surname lived. Within census records, you can often find information like name of household members, ages, birthplaces, residences, and occupations.

What did your Fairfax ancestors do for a living?

In 1940, Laborer and Maid were the top reported jobs for men and women in the USA named Fairfax. 29% of Fairfax men worked as a Laborer and 25% of Fairfax women worked as a Maid. Some less common occupations for Americans named Fairfax were Machinist and Cook. .

View Census Data for Fairfax | Data not to scale

*We display top occupations by gender to maintain their historical accuracy during times when men and women often performed different jobs.

Top Male Occupations In 1940

  • Laborer
    29%
  • Farmer
    19%
  • Salesman
    6%
  • Machinist
    6%

Top Female Occupations In 1940

  • Maid
    25%
  • Housekeeper
    8%
  • Teacher
    8%
  • Cook
    8%
Black & white image of two construction labourers

What Fairfax family records will you find?

Census Records

There are 17,000 census records available for the last name Fairfax. Like a window into their day-to-day life, Fairfax census records can tell you where and how your ancestors worked, their level of education, veteran status, and more.

Search US census records for Fairfax

Passenger Lists

There are 2,000 immigration records available for the last name Fairfax. Passenger lists are your ticket to knowing when your ancestors arrived in the USA, and how they made the journey - from the ship name to ports of arrival and departure.

View all Fairfax immigration records

Draft Cards

There are 5,000 military records available for the last name Fairfax. For the veterans among your Fairfax ancestors, military collections provide insights into where and when they served, and even physical descriptions.

View all Fairfax military records

You've only scratched the surface of Fairfax family history

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What is the average Fairfax lifespan?

Between 1946 and 2004, in the United States, Fairfax life expectancy was at its lowest point in 1946, and highest in 2001. The average life expectancy for Fairfax in 1946 was 34, and 69 in 2004.

View Social Security Death Index (SSDI) for Fairfax

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