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

Feather, 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 Feather surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Feather in America

Feather is the 11719th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Feather surname appeared 2,674 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 1 people would have the surname Feather.

We can also compare 2010 data for Feather 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 Feather

The surname FEATHER is of English origin, deriving from the Old English word 'fethere', meaning a feather or plumage. This name likely originated as a descriptive nickname for someone who worked with feathers, such as a fletcher or arrow-maker.

The earliest recorded instances of the FEATHER surname date back to the late 12th century in counties like Yorkshire and Lincolnshire. One of the first documented examples is found in the Pipe Rolls of Lincolnshire from 1195, which mentions a Robert Fether.

In the 13th century, the name appeared in various forms such as Fether, Fethir, and Fedyr. The Hundred Rolls of 1273 record a William Fether in Oxfordshire, while the Yorkshire Poll Tax of 1379 lists a Johannes Fether.

The FEATHER surname is also linked to certain place names, particularly in areas where the family may have resided. For instance, the Featherstone area of West Yorkshire likely derived its name from the Old English 'fetheres stan', meaning 'feather stone'.

Notable historical figures with the FEATHER surname include Richard Feather, a 15th-century English composer and organist who served at Wells Cathedral. John Feather, born around 1540, was a successful merchant and benefactor in the city of Bristol.

In the 17th century, John Feather was a prominent Puritan minister who served as the rector of Banbury in Oxfordshire. Another notable bearer was Sir John Feather, a 17th-century English judge and Member of Parliament.

The FEATHER surname continued to be well-represented throughout the 18th and 19th centuries, with individuals like Thomas Feather, a renowned 18th-century clockmaker from Yorkshire, and William Feather, a 19th-century industrialist and philanthropist from Lancashire.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Feather

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

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 Feather 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 Feather 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 Feather was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

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

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