Fe
A feminine name of Spanish origin meaning "faith".
Name Census estimates that about 110 living Americans carry the first name Fe. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Fe today is around 23 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Fe births was 2007 (9 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Fe. Below you will find a gender breakdown showing how the name splits between male and female registrations, a year-by-year popularity chart stretching back to 1880, decade-level totals, the top US states for this name, its meaning and etymology, and a set of frequently asked questions with data-backed answers.
People living today
110
~ 1 in 3,115,949 Americans
Peak year
2007
9 babies that year
Average age
23
years old
2023 SSA rank
#15,952
Tracked since 1960
Census
Fe in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 4,297 people with the first name Fe, which placed it at #4,378 in the published first-name tables. This is a snapshot of people who already had the name at the time of the Census.
The SSA sections elsewhere on this page answer a different question: how often parents gave the name to babies over time. The "people living today" figure on this page is different again: it is a current estimate built from SSA birth records and age-based survival rates, so the two numbers are not expected to match exactly.
2020 Census rank
#4,378
National first-name rank
People counted
4.3K
4,297 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
1.4
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
Asian and Pacific Islander
75.4% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Fe
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Fe is Asian/Pacific Islander at 75.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (16.6%) and White (5.7%). These figures describe the people who had the name in 2020, not any inherent property of the name itself.
The bar chart below shows how people with the first name Fe 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 name, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown so the breakdown is easy to read across every published category. Because the 2020 Census first-name file also includes raw headcounts for each group, Name Census can show those alongside the percentages in the legend and hover tooltip.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A first name does not determine a person's race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the name Fe at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Asian and Pacific Islander75.4% · 3,238
- Hispanic or Latino16.6% · 714
- White5.7% · 246
- Black or African American1.2% · 51
- Two or more races1.0% · 45
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.1% · 3
Popularity
Fe: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Fe from the 1960s through to the 2020s, spanning 5 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2010s, with 38 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 2010s peak, Fe remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Fe by decade
The table below breaks the full SSA timeline into ten-year windows. Each row shows how many male and female babies were given the name Fe during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Origin
Meaning and history of Fe
Fe is a given name with its origins in the Latin language. It emerged during the Roman era and is derived from the Latin word "fides," meaning faith or trust. This name holds deep religious and spiritual connotations, reflecting the significance of faith in the ancient Roman culture.
The earliest recorded instances of the name Fe can be traced back to the 1st century AD, where it was used as a feminine name among Roman families. It is believed that Fe was initially popularized within the Christian community, as it resonated with the virtues of faith and loyalty to one's beliefs.
In the 4th century, a notable figure named Fe lived in Rome. She was a Christian martyr who stood firm in her faith and refused to renounce her beliefs, even in the face of persecution. Her unwavering commitment to her religious convictions earned her great respect and admiration, and her story became a source of inspiration for generations to come.
During the Middle Ages, the name Fe experienced a resurgence in popularity, particularly in regions influenced by the Catholic Church. It was often bestowed upon devout women who dedicated their lives to religious service or charitable causes.
One of the most renowned figures with the name Fe was Fe de Sigmaringen, a 16th-century German countess and abbess who played a significant role in the Catholic Reformation. Her unwavering faith and leadership within the religious community left a lasting impact on the region.
In the 17th century, Fe de la Cruz was a Spanish mystic and writer renowned for her spiritual visions and literary works. Her writings, which explored themes of faith and mysticism, garnered widespread acclaim and influenced religious thought during that era.
Another noteworthy figure was Fe de Trastámara, a 15th-century Spanish princess and Queen consort of Aragon. Her devout Catholic faith and patronage of religious institutions solidified her legacy as a pious and influential figure of her time.
Throughout history, the name Fe has been associated with individuals who embodied unwavering faith, spiritual devotion, and a commitment to upholding virtuous principles. Its enduring presence across various cultures and eras serves as a testament to the significance of faith and its profound impact on human societies.
People
Fe + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Fe as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with F
Other first names starting with F with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Fe: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Fe?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 110 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Fe going back to 1880 and adjusting each cohort for expected survival using CDC actuarial life tables. The result is an age-weighted living-bearer count, not a raw birth total. That works out to about 1 in 3,115,949 US residents.
Is Fe a common name?
We classify Fe as "Very Rare". It ranks above 65.9% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 115 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Fe most popular?
The single biggest year for Fe was 2007, when 9 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Fe is about 23 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Fe in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 4,297 people with the name Fe, or 1.42 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #4,378 in the national Census ranking for first names.
Why is the Census count different from the living estimate?
Because they measure different things. The Census figure is a count of people who had the name Fe in 2020. The living estimate aims to answer a current question instead: how many people with the name are alive today, based on SSA birth records and age-based survival rates. Since one number is a 2020 snapshot and the other is a present-day estimate, they are not expected to be identical.
What does the Census say about the gender split for Fe?
In the 2020 Census sex table, Fe leans strongly female. 4,231 people counted with this name were female (98.6%), compared with 59 male bearers (1.4%). The Census view is a snapshot of people living with the name in 2020, while the SSA section above tracks births across time.
What does the Census say about the background of people named Fe?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Fe is Asian/Pacific Islander at 75.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (16.6%) and White (5.7%). These figures describe the people who had the name in 2020, not any inherent property of the name itself. The percentages in the chart above come from self-reported race and Hispanic-origin responses in the 2020 Census.
Which group reports the name Fe most often in the Census?
Asian/Pacific Islander is the largest reported group for people named Fe in the 2020 Census, accounting for 75.4% (3,238 people in the published table).
Why can the Census sex total and race total differ slightly?
The Census Bureau published separate 2020 tables for sex and for race/Hispanic origin, and the released figures can differ slightly because of privacy protection in the public files. That is why this page treats the gender section and the race/origin section as two related snapshots instead of forcing them into one identical total.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only includes names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files have no Census demographic snapshot. When that happens, the SSA trend, gender history, and state sections still appear, but the 2020 Census demographic sections are omitted.
What does the SSA popularity chart show?
The chart tracks births, not the number of people alive with the name today. Each point shows how many babies were given the name Fe in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Fe a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Fe in the SSA data are female. You can see the full per-sex comparison in the gender distribution section above, which includes the latest year rank, birth count, and peak year for each sex.
Is Fe still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Fe in 2024, and the page above shows its latest-year rank where available. A name can be well past its peak and still remain in steady use, especially if it built up a large population over earlier decades.
Why can a name have a lot of living bearers even if it is not trendy now?
Because living-bearer counts and current baby-name popularity measure different things. A name like Fe can build up a very large population over many decades, even if fewer parents are choosing it now than they did at its peak.
Where does this data come from?
First-name figures come from the Social Security Administration's national baby name files, which cover every name on a birth certificate from 1880 to 2024. Living-bearer estimates layer in CDC actuarial life tables broken out by sex to account for mortality. The population baseline (342,754,338) is the Census Bureau's latest national estimate. You can read the full calculation on our methodology page.
How many people have the name Fe?
For a quick modern take, check how many Americans are named Fe on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org.