2000
#144,908
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 105
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Backfisch
A German surname referring to a young girl just reaching maturity.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 126 Americans carry the last name Backfisch. That puts it at #149,446 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,720,273 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Backfisch surname. You will find the Census Bureau frequency data, a multi-census history view, an ancestry and ethnicity breakdown based on self-reported demographics, the name's meaning and origin where available, and answers to the most common questions people ask about this surname.
Bearers in the US
126
1 in 2,720,273
Census rank
#149,446
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
110
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 110 bearers of the surname Backfisch in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 149446th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Backfisch, the largest self-reported group is White at 97.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (1.8%) and Black (0.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Backfisch
The surname "Backfisch" is of German origin and is believed to have originated in the late 16th century. It is derived from the German word "backe", meaning cheek, and "fisch", meaning fish, likely referring to a person with a rounded or chubby face.
The name was most commonly found in the regions of Bavaria and Saxony, where it was first recorded in various local records and parish registers. One of the earliest known references to the name is in the Kirchenbuch (church book) of Fürth, a city in modern-day Bavaria, where a certain Hans Backfisch was mentioned in an entry dated 1597.
In the 17th century, the name appears to have spread to other parts of Germany, with records showing Backfischs living in Nuremberg, Leipzig, and Berlin. A notable bearer of the name during this period was Johann Backfisch (1633-1692), a Lutheran theologian and author from Saxony.
As the name became more widespread, variations in spelling emerged, such as Backfisch, Beckfisch, and Beckfisch. These variations were often influenced by regional dialects and local scribes' interpretations.
In the 18th century, the Backfisch name appeared in several historical documents, including the Oberösterreichisches Urkundenbuch (Upper Austrian Charter Book), which mentions a Caspar Backfisch in a land transaction dated 1749.
One of the most notable figures with the surname Backfisch was Friedrich Backfisch (1794-1866), a German painter and lithographer from Leipzig. His works, which included portraits and landscapes, were widely acclaimed during his lifetime.
Other notable individuals with the surname Backfisch include:
1. Wilhelm Backfisch (1820-1896), a German composer and music teacher from Berlin.
2. Henriette Backfisch (1846-1918), a German educator and advocate for women's rights, born in Nuremberg.
3. Karl Backfisch (1869-1944), a German architect and urban planner who designed several buildings in Berlin and Leipzig.
4. Ernst Backfisch (1891-1965), a German-American engineer and inventor, known for his contributions to the development of early electronic television systems.
While the name Backfisch is still found in Germany and other German-speaking regions, its prevalence has diminished over time. However, it remains an intriguing part of German onomastic history, reflecting the colorful and diverse linguistic roots of German surnames.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Backfisch
Among Census respondents with the surname Backfisch, the largest self-reported group is White at 97.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (1.8%) and Black (0.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Backfisch bearers 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 surname, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown for every Census year so the breakdown stays comparable over time. When the source file also includes raw headcounts, Name Census shows those alongside the percentages in the legend.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A person's surname does not determine their race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the Backfisch surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White97.3% · 107
- Hispanic or Latino1.8% · 2
- Black or African American0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Backfisch
Backfisch appears in 3 published Census surname files: 2000, 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2010
#135,593
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 124
+19 bearers (+18.1%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 9,315 places
2020
#149,446
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 110
-14 bearers (-11.3%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 13,853 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #144,908 | 105 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #135,593 | 124 | 0.04 | +19 bearers (+18.1%) | Up 9,315 places |
| 2020 | #149,446 | 110 | 0.04 | -14 bearers (-11.3%) | Down 13,853 places |
For 2020, the Census Bureau published race and Hispanic-origin columns as counts rather than percentages. Name Census converts those counts back into shares so the ancestry section stays comparable with the older surname files.
Year on year
2010 vs 2020 Census
How has the Backfisch surname changed between Census years? The chart shows bearer count side by side, and the table compares rank, count, and frequency.
Census year comparison
20102020
| Metric | 2010 | 2020 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #135,593 | #149,446 | -10.2% |
| Count | 124 | 110 | -11.3% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -8.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Backfisch bearers went from 124 to 110 (-11.3% change). The surname moved down 13,853 positions in the national ranking, going from #135,593 to #149,446.
FAQ
Backfisch surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Backfisch?
Name Census estimates that about 126 living Americans carry the surname Backfisch. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,720,273 residents.
How common is Backfisch?
Backfisch ranks #149,446 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 110 people with the surname Backfisch. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (126), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.04 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Backfisch.
Has Backfisch become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Backfisch went from 124 recorded bearers to 110. That is a decrease of 14 (-11.3%). In the national ranking it fell from #135,593 to #149,446.
What does the Census say about the background of Backfisch?
Among Census respondents with the surname Backfisch, the largest self-reported group is White at 97.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (1.8%) and Black (0.9%). These figures come from the 2020 Census Bureau surname tables, based on how respondents described their own race and ethnicity.
Which group reports this surname most often?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Backfisch in the 2020 Census, accounting for 97.3% (107 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Backfisch appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (97.3%), Hispanic (1.8%), Black (0.9%). For 2020, the source file also published raw headcounts for each group, which is why this page can show both percentages and counts in the ancestry section.
Is this page using the latest Census data?
Yes. This page is using the latest surname file currently loaded on Name Census, which is 2020. The historical section above also keeps any older Census surname entries we have for Backfisch (2000, 2010, 2020).
Does the Census include every surname?
No. The Census Bureau only publishes surnames that appeared at least 100 times in a given decennial Census. That means very rare surnames are excluded entirely, and a surname can appear in one Census release but disappear from a later one if it falls below the reporting threshold.
Why don't the ancestry percentages always add up to exactly 100%?
There are two main reasons: rounding and suppression. The Census Bureau rounds published values, and it may suppress very small cells to protect privacy. For 2020, the Bureau also published raw group counts rather than direct percentages, so Name Census converts those counts back into shares for comparability across census years.
What does Backfisch mean?
A German surname referring to a young girl just reaching maturity. The fuller origin note on this page goes into more detail.
Where does the surname data come from?
All surname statistics on Name Census are drawn from the US Census Bureau's decennial surname frequency tables. These files list every surname that appeared 100 or more times in the 2020 Census, along with a count, a per-100,000 rate, and a self-reported demographic breakdown. You can read the full explanation on our methodology page.
How does Name Census estimate living bearers?
For surnames, Name Census does not age cohorts the way it does for first names. Instead, it takes the Census Bureau's published frequency for Backfisch (0.04 per 100,000) and applies that rate to the current U.S. resident population to estimate how many living Americans have the surname today.
How many people share the surname Backfisch?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.