Favre surname: meaning, census count and records | FamilyCrests

The Favre surname

In the 2010 U.S. Census, 1,198 people carried this name — #21,717 among all U.S. surnames, about 1 in every 243,900 people counted. That is down 2% from 1,222 in 2000.

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What the name means

The meaning of the Favre surname

A French and Swiss surname originating as an occupation for a smith.

Occupational surname for ironworkers and smiths, from Latin faber (“craftsman”).

From Wiktionary, the free dictionary (en.wiktionary.org) — entry «Favre» (French), by Wiktionary contributors · licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 (creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0) · excerpt, lightly adapted.

In France’s civil register

France’s register of deaths holds 6,418 people named Favre.

252 of them were born outside France. Those born in France came from 95 départements, most often Haute-Savoie.

Where it concentrates, on the map

Where they were born

Born outside France 252
Haute-Savoie 1,007
Savoie 919
Ain 848
Paris 531
Rhône 528
Isère 269
Charente-Maritime 242
Vienne 116

Fichier des personnes décédées, INSEE — Licence Ouverte 2.0 · deaths recorded in France since 1970, by place of birth.

In Switzerland’s population statistics

5,438 people named Favre live in Switzerland.

They live in 18 of Switzerland’s 26 cantons, most of all in Vaud.

Where it concentrates, on the map

Where they live today

Vaud 2,132
Valais 1,276
Fribourg 739
Geneva 613
Neuchâtel 295
Bern 135
Zurich 109
Jura 30

Swiss Federal Statistical Office (FSO), «Surnames of the permanent resident population by canton», 2025, opendata.swiss/en/dataset/nachnamen-der-standigen-wohnbevolkerung-nach-kanton3 · names with fewer than 3 bearers in a canton are not published.

In Argentina’s national register

At least 1,717 people named Favre live in Argentina.

RENAPER only publishes a name in a province when more than ten people there share it, so the real number is higher. Most of them live in Entre Ríos.

Where it concentrates, on the map

Where they live today

Entre Ríos 520
Buenos Aires Province 471
Santa Fe 400
Córdoba 141
City of Buenos Aires 57
Chaco 36
Corrientes 30
Mendoza 19

RENAPER (National Registry of Persons, Argentina), surnames of residents by province, December 2021 — CC BY 4.0.

In the Nordic population registers

30 people named Favre is counted in Sweden.

Sweden’s figure is from 31 December 2022, the last count Statistics Sweden published.

Counted, by country

Sweden (2022) 30

Own calculations based on data from Statistics Sweden (SCB), surnames with at least two bearers, 31 December 2022 — CC BY 4.0 (names with 20 or more bearers shown).

Who carried it

People named Favre,
with a public archive behind them.

  • Peter Faber
    Peter Faber 1506–1546 · Catholic priest
  • Antoine Favre
    Antoine Favre 1557–1624 · writer
  • Claude Favre de Vaugelas
    Claude Favre de Vaugelas 1585–1650 · translator
  • François Favre d. 1551
  • Pierre Favre 1527–1567
  • Jonas Favre 1630–1694 · architect

Wikidata and Wikimedia Commons (CC0) · 10 lives in all are documented under this name.

Nearby in the index

Surnames next to Favre.

When the index is not enough

This page says where Favre is.
A volume says what happened to it.

Every page in the index is free and stays free. The Heritage Volume is the long form: the full paper trail, the arms, the crossing — bound, and yours.

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