2010
#154,907
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 105
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Faltermeier
A German surname denoting someone who lived near a butterfly meadow.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 123 Americans carry the last name Faltermeier. That puts it at #151,639 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,786,621 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Faltermeier 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
123
1 in 2,786,621
Census rank
#151,639
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
107
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 107 bearers of the surname Faltermeier in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 151639th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Faltermeier, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.7%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (1.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Faltermeier
The surname Faltermeier originates from the German-speaking regions of central Europe, specifically from the areas around modern-day Bavaria and Austria. It is believed to have emerged during the late medieval period, sometime around the 14th or 15th century.
The name Faltermeier is a combination of two distinct German words. The first part, "Falter," is derived from the Middle High German word "valter," meaning "butterfly." The second part, "meier," is a common surname suffix in German that originates from the word "meier," which means a farmer, steward, or overseer of an estate.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Faltermeier can be found in a 16th-century manuscript from the Bavarian town of Neumarkt, where a certain Hans Faltermeier was mentioned as a landowner and local official. This suggests that the name may have initially been associated with individuals involved in agricultural or land management roles.
In the 17th century, a prominent figure named Johann Faltermeier (1623-1697) was a respected theologian and professor at the University of Ingolstadt, which was a leading academic institution in Bavaria at the time. His scholarly works on religious philosophy and ethics were widely read and influential during that era.
Another notable bearer of the surname was Matthias Faltermeier (1768-1842), a Bavarian painter and artist known for his landscapes and religious works. Many of his paintings can still be found in churches and galleries throughout southern Germany.
During the 19th century, a family of Faltermeiers from the town of Straubing in Lower Bavaria achieved some prominence. One member, Josef Faltermeier (1822-1891), was a successful merchant and philanthropist who donated generously to local schools and charitable causes.
In more recent times, the name Faltermeier has also been associated with several individuals in the fields of academia and literature. For example, Hans-Jürgen Faltermeier (1936-2021) was a renowned German linguist and professor of Germanic studies, while Erna Faltermeier (1908-1988) was a respected author and poet whose works focused on themes of nature and rural life.
Throughout its history, the surname Faltermeier has maintained a strong connection to its German roots and has been particularly prevalent in the southern regions of Germany and Austria. While not a widely distributed name, it continues to carry the legacy of its agricultural and rural origins.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Faltermeier
Among Census respondents with the surname Faltermeier, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.7%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (1.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Faltermeier 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 Faltermeier surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White92.5% · 99
- Hispanic or Latino4.7% · 5
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.9% · 2
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Faltermeier
Faltermeier 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
#151,639
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 107
+2 bearers (+1.9%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 3,268 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #154,907 | 105 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #151,639 | 107 | 0.04 | +2 bearers (+1.9%) | Up 3,268 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 Faltermeier 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 | #154,907 | #151,639 | 2.1% |
| Count | 105 | 107 | 1.9% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -10.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Faltermeier bearers went from 105 to 107 (+1.9% change). The surname moved up 3,268 positions in the national ranking, going from #154,907 to #151,639.
FAQ
Faltermeier surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Faltermeier?
Name Census estimates that about 123 living Americans carry the surname Faltermeier. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,786,621 residents.
How common is Faltermeier?
Faltermeier ranks #151,639 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 107 people with the surname Faltermeier. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (123), 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 Faltermeier.
Has Faltermeier become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Faltermeier went from 105 recorded bearers to 107. That is an increase of 2 (+1.9%). In the national ranking it rose from #154,907 to #151,639.
What does the Census say about the background of Faltermeier?
Among Census respondents with the surname Faltermeier, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.7%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (1.9%). 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 Faltermeier in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.5% (99 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Faltermeier appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (92.5%), Hispanic (4.7%), Asian/Pacific Islander (1.9%). 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 Faltermeier (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 Faltermeier mean?
A German surname denoting someone who lived near a butterfly meadow. 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 Faltermeier (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 Americans have the surname Faltermeier?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.