Find out how popular the last name Fasnacht is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Fasnacht.

Fasnacht, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Fasnacht surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Fasnacht in America

Fasnacht is the 24064th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Fasnacht surname appeared 1,047 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 people would have the surname Fasnacht.

We can also compare 2010 data for Fasnacht to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name Fasnacht

The surname Fasnacht has its origins in the German-speaking regions of Europe, particularly in Germany, Switzerland, and Austria. It is derived from the Old High German word "fasten," which means "to fast," and the word "naht," which means "night." This combination refers to the night before the beginning of the Lenten fast, also known as Shrove Tuesday or Fastnacht.

The name Fasnacht likely emerged during the Middle Ages, when surnames began to be adopted more widely. It was initially used as a descriptive surname, referring to individuals or families associated with the festivities or occupations related to the Fastnacht celebrations, which were an important part of the cultural and religious traditions in these regions.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Fasnacht can be found in the 14th-century Augsburg tax records, which mention a family named Fasnacht residing in the city. Additionally, the name appears in various historical documents and records from the 15th and 16th centuries in areas such as Bavaria, Swabia, and Alsace.

Notable individuals bearing the surname Fasnacht throughout history include Johannes Fasnacht (1560-1637), a German Lutheran theologian and author from Nuremberg; Hans Fasnacht (1670-1738), a Swiss painter and engraver known for his religious works; and Philipp Fasnacht (1692-1766), a German composer and organist who served in the court of the Margrave of Baden-Durlach.

In the 19th century, Johann Fasnacht (1822-1893) was a prominent German-American farmer and politician who served as a member of the Wisconsin State Assembly. Another notable figure was Friedrich Fasnacht (1856-1938), a Swiss theologian and professor who made significant contributions to the study of Christian ethics and moral philosophy.

As the surname spread beyond its original geographic origins, variations in spelling emerged, including Fassnacht, Fasnach, Fasenacht, and Fastenacht, reflecting regional linguistic differences and variations in pronunciation and orthography.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Fasnacht

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Fasnacht.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Fasnacht was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Fasnacht has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Fasnacht was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Fasnacht, please contact us.

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