# Playfair (surname)

Source: https://namelineage.com/surname/playfair/  
Publisher: Name Lineage. Counts from the US Census Bureau; origin and etymology from Wiktionary; bearers from Wikidata. Data updated 2026-11-11.

A surname.

| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| Origin | not recorded |
| Type | not recorded |
| People in the US (2010 Census) | 102 |
| US rank (2010) | 158,432 of 162,253 |
| How often | about 1 in every 3,026,917 people |
| Change since 2000 | not recorded |
| Pronunciation | not recorded |
| Variant spellings | none recorded |

## Etymology

* (craters): The craters are Named after Scottish mathematician, scientist and C of S minister John Playfair * (cipher): The cipher is Named after British Lord, baron, politician and scientist Lyon Playfair, who popularized the cipher.

## Who carries it

Share of people named Playfair in the 2010 US Census by the Census's own race and ethnicity groups. The Census suppresses a share when the count behind it is small.

| Group | Share |
|---|---|
| White (not Hispanic) | 82% |
| Black (not Hispanic) | 14% |
| American Indian and Alaska Native | 0.0% |
| Two or more races | 0.0% |

## Where

Wikidata records people named Playfair in Australia and the United Kingdom.

## People named Playfair

- Judy Playfair, Australian swimmer, Olympic silver medallist
- Lena Ashwell, British actress and acting manager (1872–1957)

## Similar surnames

Pelfrey, Pulver, Philbrick, Philbrook, Palfrey.

## How to read these numbers

A Census count is people alive and counted in 2010, not births, and names occurring fewer than 100 times are not published at all. Ethnicity shares are the Census's own categories.