2000
#119,644
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 134
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.05
Very Rare Last name
Faigen
A surname derived from the Yiddish word meaning "fig tree".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 125 Americans carry the last name Faigen. That puts it at #150,205 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,742,035 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Faigen 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
125
1 in 2,742,035
Census rank
#150,205
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
109
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 109 bearers of the surname Faigen in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 150205th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Faigen, the largest self-reported group is White at 95.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (1.8%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (1.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Faigen
The surname Faigen is of German origin and can be traced back to the early 18th century. It is believed to have derived from the German word 'feigen', which means 'coward' or 'timid'. This suggests that the name may have been originally given as a nickname to someone who was perceived as being overly cautious or lacking in bravery.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Faigen can be found in the German church records from the town of Büdingen, located in the state of Hesse. In 1718, a man named Johann Faigen was listed as a resident of the town. It is possible that this was the first use of the name in written records.
In the late 18th century, the name Faigen began to appear in various parts of Germany, suggesting that families with this surname had started to migrate and settle in different regions. For example, in 1784, a man named Jacob Faigen was born in the town of Grünstadt, located in the state of Rhineland-Palatinate.
As the name Faigen spread across Germany, it also began to appear in other parts of Europe. In the early 19th century, there were records of individuals with this surname living in Austria and Switzerland. One notable individual from this time period was Karl Faigen, a German musician and composer who was born in 1818 and died in 1891.
Throughout the 19th and early 20th centuries, several individuals with the surname Faigen made significant contributions in various fields. Heinrich Faigen (1842-1912) was a German politician and member of the Reichstag (the German parliament). Emilie Faigen (1876-1941) was a German artist and painter known for her landscape and portrait works.
Another notable figure was Otto Faigen (1896-1968), a German-American physicist who made important contributions to the field of nuclear physics. He was born in Germany but later emigrated to the United States, where he worked at several prestigious universities and research institutions.
In the late 20th century, the name Faigen continued to be found in various parts of the world, likely due to the migration of families from Germany and other European countries. Michael Faigen (1951-present) is a contemporary American artist and sculptor known for his large-scale public art installations.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Faigen
Among Census respondents with the surname Faigen, the largest self-reported group is White at 95.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (1.8%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (1.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Faigen 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 Faigen surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White95.4% · 104
- Hispanic or Latino1.8% · 2
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.8% · 2
- Two or more races0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Faigen
Faigen 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
-10 bearers (-7.5%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 15,949 places
2020
#150,205
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 109
-15 bearers (-12.1%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 14,612 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #119,644 | 134 | 0.05 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #135,593 | 124 | 0.04 | -10 bearers (-7.5%) | Down 15,949 places |
| 2020 | #150,205 | 109 | 0.04 | -15 bearers (-12.1%) | Down 14,612 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 Faigen 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 | #150,205 | -10.8% |
| Count | 124 | 109 | -12.1% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -8.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Faigen bearers went from 124 to 109 (-12.1% change). The surname moved down 14,612 positions in the national ranking, going from #135,593 to #150,205.
FAQ
Faigen surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Faigen?
Name Census estimates that about 125 living Americans carry the surname Faigen. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,742,035 residents.
How common is Faigen?
Faigen ranks #150,205 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 109 people with the surname Faigen. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (125), 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 Faigen.
Has Faigen become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Faigen went from 124 recorded bearers to 109. That is a decrease of 15 (-12.1%). In the national ranking it fell from #135,593 to #150,205.
What does the Census say about the background of Faigen?
Among Census respondents with the surname Faigen, the largest self-reported group is White at 95.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (1.8%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (1.8%). 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 Faigen in the 2020 Census, accounting for 95.4% (104 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Faigen appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (95.4%), Hispanic (1.8%), American Indian/Alaska Native (1.8%). 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 Faigen (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 Faigen mean?
A surname derived from the Yiddish word meaning "fig 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 Faigen (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 Faigen?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.