2000
#133,114
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 117
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Fagerman
A surname potentially derived from the Swedish words "fager" (beautiful) and "man" (man).
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 136 Americans carry the last name Fagerman. That puts it at #142,788 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,520,252 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Fagerman 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
136
1 in 2,520,252
Census rank
#142,788
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
119
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 119 bearers of the surname Fagerman in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 142788th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Fagerman, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.0%) and Black (0.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Fagerman
The surname Fagerman has its origins in Sweden, with the earliest known records dating back to the 17th century. It is believed to have derived from the Old Swedish word "fager," which means "fair" or "beautiful," and the suffix "-man," indicating a person or occupation. This suggests that the name may have initially referred to someone with a fair or attractive appearance.
One of the earliest known references to the surname Fagerman can be found in the parish records of Västervik, a city in southeastern Sweden, where a man named Nils Fagerman was recorded in 1683. The name also appears in various tax records and legal documents from that period in the nearby regions of Småland and Östergötland.
In the late 18th century, the name Fagerman gained prominence with the birth of Johan Fagerman (1733-1808), a Swedish merchant and shipowner from Gothenburg. He was instrumental in establishing trade routes between Sweden and the West Indies, contributing significantly to the economic growth of the region.
Another notable individual with the surname Fagerman was Brita Fagerman (1801-1872), a Swedish philanthropist and advocate for women's rights. She founded several charitable organizations and worked tirelessly to improve the living conditions of underprivileged women and children in Stockholm.
During the 19th century, the name Fagerman was also associated with the town of Fagerman, a small village in the municipality of Tranemo, Västra Götaland County, Sweden. It is believed that the town may have been named after an early settler with the surname Fagerman, though the exact origins of the town's name are unclear.
In the early 20th century, a prominent figure bearing the surname Fagerman was Erik Fagerman (1889-1966), a Swedish architect known for his work on several notable buildings in Stockholm, including the Kungliga Dramatiska Teatern (Royal Dramatic Theatre) and the Stockholm Public Library.
Another individual of note was Ingrid Fagerman (1918-2002), a Swedish artist and sculptor whose works were exhibited in various galleries across Europe and the United States. Her sculptures often depicted human forms and explored themes of emotion and personal identity.
While the surname Fagerman is not among the most common in Sweden, it has a rich history and has been borne by several notable individuals throughout the centuries, contributing to various fields such as business, philanthropy, architecture, and the arts.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Fagerman
Among Census respondents with the surname Fagerman, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.0%) and Black (0.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Fagerman 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 Fagerman surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White94.1% · 112
- Hispanic or Latino5.0% · 6
- Black or African American0.8% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Fagerman
Fagerman 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
#133,048
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 127
+10 bearers (+8.5%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 66 places
2020
#142,788
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 119
-8 bearers (-6.3%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 9,740 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #133,114 | 117 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #133,048 | 127 | 0.04 | +10 bearers (+8.5%) | Up 66 places |
| 2020 | #142,788 | 119 | 0.04 | -8 bearers (-6.3%) | Down 9,740 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 Fagerman 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 | #133,048 | #142,788 | -7.3% |
| Count | 127 | 119 | -6.3% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -0.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Fagerman bearers went from 127 to 119 (-6.3% change). The surname moved down 9,740 positions in the national ranking, going from #133,048 to #142,788.
FAQ
Fagerman surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Fagerman?
Name Census estimates that about 136 living Americans carry the surname Fagerman. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,520,252 residents.
How common is Fagerman?
Fagerman ranks #142,788 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 119 people with the surname Fagerman. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (136), 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 Fagerman.
Has Fagerman become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Fagerman went from 127 recorded bearers to 119. That is a decrease of 8 (-6.3%). In the national ranking it fell from #133,048 to #142,788.
What does the Census say about the background of Fagerman?
Among Census respondents with the surname Fagerman, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.0%) and Black (0.8%). 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 Fagerman in the 2020 Census, accounting for 94.1% (112 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Fagerman appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (94.1%), Hispanic (5.0%), Black (0.8%). 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 Fagerman (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 Fagerman mean?
A surname potentially derived from the Swedish words "fager" (beautiful) and "man" (man). 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 Fagerman (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 have the last name Fagerman?
Find out how common the surname Fagerman is on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.