Fenn
An English name derived from a surname meaning "marsh" or "fen".
Name Census estimates that about 53 living Americans carry the first name Fenn. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Fenn today is around 9 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Fenn births was 2012 (7 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Fenn. 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.
For a British comparison, Name Census UK has a UK baby-name profile for Fenn with official rankings and popularity over time.
Key insights
- • Fewer than 100 living Americans are believed to carry the name Fenn. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
53
~ 1 in 6,467,063 Americans
Peak year
2012
7 babies that year
Average age
9
years old
2023 SSA rank
#10,067
Tracked since 2006
Census
Fenn in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 159 people with the first name Fenn, which placed it at #43,953 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
#43,953
National first-name rank
People counted
159
159 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
0.1
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
White
80.5% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Fenn
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Fenn is White at 80.5%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (5.7%) and Two or More Races (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 Fenn 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 Fenn at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White80.5% · 128
- Asian and Pacific Islander5.7% · 9
- Two or more races5.7% · 9
- Hispanic or Latino4.4% · 7
- Black or African American3.8% · 6
Popularity
Fenn: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Fenn from the 2000s through to the 2020s, spanning 3 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2010s, with 31 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 2010s peak, Fenn remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Fenn 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 Fenn 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 Fenn
The name Fenn is thought to have originated from the Old English word "fenn," which means "marsh" or "fen." This suggests that the name may have been derived from a geographic location or a description of a person's place of residence near a marshy area.
In the Middle Ages, the name Fenn was used as a surname, particularly in England. Some records indicate that the name was also used as a given name during this time period, although it was relatively uncommon.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Fenn as a first name can be found in the 16th century. Fenn Dighton was an English landowner who lived in Gloucestershire in the late 1500s. Historical records from the time mention him as a prominent figure in the local community.
In the 17th century, there was a Fenn Bittleston, who was a merchant and trader in London. He was known for his successful business ventures and his involvement in the city's guild system.
Fenn Shawcross, a British soldier and military officer, served in the British Army during the late 18th century. He participated in several campaigns and battles, including the American Revolutionary War.
In the 19th century, Fenn Hurlbut was an American clergyman and educator. He was involved in the establishment of several educational institutions and was known for his work in promoting education and religious study.
Another notable individual with the name Fenn was Fenn Woodridge, a British artist and painter who lived in the early 20th century. His works were exhibited in various galleries and museums across Europe, and he gained recognition for his landscape paintings and portraits.
While the name Fenn was not as common as some other names throughout history, it has been used sporadically across different cultures and time periods. The name's connection to the natural environment and its potential geographic origins make it a unique and interesting choice for a given name.
People
Fenn + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Fenn 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
Fenn: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Fenn?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 53 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Fenn 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 6,467,063 US residents.
Is Fenn a common name?
We classify Fenn as "Very Rare". It ranks above 55.2% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 53 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Fenn most popular?
The single biggest year for Fenn was 2012, when 7 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Fenn is about 9 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Fenn in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 159 people with the name Fenn, or 0.05 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #43,953 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 Fenn 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 Fenn?
In the 2020 Census sex table, Fenn leans strongly male. 134 people counted with this name were male (85.9%), compared with 22 female bearers (14.1%). 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 Fenn?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Fenn is White at 80.5%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (5.7%) and Two or More Races (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 Fenn most often in the Census?
White is the largest reported group for people named Fenn in the 2020 Census, accounting for 80.5% (128 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 Fenn in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Fenn a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Fenn in the SSA data are male. 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 Fenn still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Fenn 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 Fenn 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 Americans are named Fenn?
See how many people have the name Fenn on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.