2000
#12,266
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,326
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.86
Rare Last name
Fackler
An occupational surname for a maker or seller of torches, from the Middle High German "vackel" meaning torch.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,616 Americans carry the last name Fackler. That puts it at #12,890 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.76 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 131,022 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Fackler 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
2.6K
1 in 131,022
Census rank
#12,890
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.8
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.3K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,281 bearers of the surname Fackler in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.76 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 12890th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Fackler, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.0%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.2%) and Hispanic (2.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Fackler
The surname Fackler originated in Germany and is derived from the German word "Fackel," which means "torch." It is believed to have emerged as an occupational surname, referring to someone who made or carried torches. This name first appeared in historical records around the 13th century in Bavaria and other German-speaking regions.
In the 16th century, variations of the name, such as Fackler, Fäckler, and Feckler, can be found in various German records and manuscripts. One notable early record is the mention of a Hans Fackler in the Bürgerbuch (citizen book) of Kulmbach, Bavaria, in 1542.
The earliest recorded example of the name Fackler dates back to 1389, when a Johannes Fackler was mentioned in the Codex Diplomaticus Brandenburgensis, a collection of historical documents from the Margraviate of Brandenburg.
Throughout history, several individuals with the surname Fackler have left their mark in various fields. One notable figure was Johann Fackler (1592-1672), a German Protestant theologian and author from Hesse, who wrote several religious works during the Reformation era.
Another prominent individual was Karl Fackler (1813-1895), a German-American architect and civil engineer who designed several notable buildings in Cincinnati, Ohio, including the Cincinnati Music Hall and the Cincinnati City Hall.
In the 19th century, Johann Georg Fackler (1807-1878) was a German-American watchmaker and entrepreneur who founded the Fackler Watch Company in Cincinnati, Ohio, one of the earliest American watch manufacturers.
Moving to more recent times, Hans Fackler (1898-1976) was a German journalist and author who wrote extensively about World War II and the Third Reich.
Additionally, Guido Fackler (1923-2004) was a German-American artist and sculptor known for his abstract expressionist works and public sculptures in the United States and Europe.
While the surname Fackler has its roots in Germany, it has since spread to other parts of the world, particularly through immigration to countries like the United States, Canada, and Australia.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Fackler
Among Census respondents with the surname Fackler, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.0%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.2%) and Hispanic (2.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Fackler 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 Fackler surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White92.0% · 2,098
- Two or more races3.2% · 73
- Hispanic or Latino2.8% · 63
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.5% · 35
- Black or African American0.4% · 10
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.1% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Fackler
Fackler 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
#12,711
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,429
+103 bearers (+4.4%)
Per 100,000 0.82
Rank movement Down 445 places
2020
#12,890
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,281
-148 bearers (-6.1%)
Per 100,000 0.76
Rank movement Down 179 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #12,266 | 2,326 | 0.86 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #12,711 | 2,429 | 0.82 | +103 bearers (+4.4%) | Down 445 places |
| 2020 | #12,890 | 2,281 | 0.76 | -148 bearers (-6.1%) | Down 179 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 Fackler 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 | #12,711 | #12,890 | -1.4% |
| Count | 2,429 | 2,281 | -6.1% |
| Per 100K | 0.82 | 0.76 | -6.9% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Fackler bearers went from 2,429 to 2,281 (-6.1% change). The surname moved down 179 positions in the national ranking, going from #12,711 to #12,890.
FAQ
Fackler surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Fackler?
Name Census estimates that about 2,616 living Americans carry the surname Fackler. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 131,022 residents.
How common is Fackler?
Fackler ranks #12,890 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.76 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 2,281 people with the surname Fackler. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,616), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.76 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.76 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Fackler.
Has Fackler become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Fackler went from 2,429 recorded bearers to 2,281. That is a decrease of 148 (-6.1%). In the national ranking it fell from #12,711 to #12,890.
What does the Census say about the background of Fackler?
Among Census respondents with the surname Fackler, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.0%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.2%) and Hispanic (2.8%). 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 Fackler in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.0% (2,098 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Fackler appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (92.0%), Two or More Races (3.2%), Hispanic (2.8%). 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 Fackler (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 Fackler mean?
An occupational surname for a maker or seller of torches, from the Middle High German "vackel" meaning torch. 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 Fackler (0.76 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 Americans have the surname Fackler?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.