2010
#135,593
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 124
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Fahlbusch
A German surname denoting someone who lived near a beech tree.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 126 Americans carry the last name Fahlbusch. 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 Fahlbusch 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 Fahlbusch 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 Fahlbusch, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.6%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.5%) and Hispanic (0.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Fahlbusch
The surname Fahlbusch originates from Germany and can be traced back to the early 16th century. It is a locational name derived from a place name that likely referred to a settlement or region near a pale or light-colored wooded area.
The name is believed to have originated in northern Germany, particularly in the regions of Saxony and Brandenburg. It is composed of the German words "fahl" meaning pale or light-colored, and "Busch" meaning bush or wooded area.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Fahlbusch can be found in the records of the town of Zerbst in Saxony-Anhalt, dating back to the year 1534. The name is also mentioned in various church records and local historical documents from the 16th and 17th centuries in the regions of Saxony and Brandenburg.
In the 17th century, a notable figure with the surname Fahlbusch was Johann Fahlbusch (1623-1697), a German Lutheran theologian and author from Magdeburg. His works included theological treatises and sermons.
Another early bearer of the name was Hans Fahlbusch (1670-1738), a merchant and landowner from the town of Zerbst. He was known for his successful business endeavors and his involvement in local politics.
In the 19th century, Karl Fahlbusch (1818-1892) was a German educator and writer from Saxony-Anhalt. He authored several textbooks on German language and literature, which were widely used in schools across Germany.
Another notable figure was August Fahlbusch (1846-1924), a German architect from Brandenburg. He designed several notable buildings in Berlin and other cities in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, including churches, schools, and government buildings.
In the 20th century, Ernst Fahlbusch (1901-1985) was a German theologian and academic. He served as a professor of theology at the University of Göttingen and made significant contributions to the field of biblical studies through his numerous publications.
These are just a few examples of individuals throughout history who bore the surname Fahlbusch, reflecting its German origins and the various professions and accomplishments of those who carried this name.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Fahlbusch
Among Census respondents with the surname Fahlbusch, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.6%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.5%) and Hispanic (0.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Fahlbusch 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 Fahlbusch surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White93.6% · 103
- Two or more races4.5% · 5
- Hispanic or Latino0.9% · 1
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Fahlbusch
Fahlbusch appears in 2 published Census surname files: 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #135,593 | 124 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 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 Fahlbusch 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 Fahlbusch 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
Fahlbusch surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Fahlbusch?
Name Census estimates that about 126 living Americans carry the surname Fahlbusch. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,720,273 residents.
How common is Fahlbusch?
Fahlbusch 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 Fahlbusch. 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 Fahlbusch.
Has Fahlbusch become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Fahlbusch 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 Fahlbusch?
Among Census respondents with the surname Fahlbusch, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.6%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.5%) and Hispanic (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 Fahlbusch in the 2020 Census, accounting for 93.6% (103 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Fahlbusch appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (93.6%), Two or More Races (4.5%), Hispanic (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 Fahlbusch (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 Fahlbusch mean?
A German surname denoting someone who lived near a beech tree. 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 Fahlbusch (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 Fahlbusch?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.