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

Fedder, 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 Fedder surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Fedder in America

Fedder is the 31329th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Fedder surname appeared 740 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 Fedder.

We can also compare 2010 data for Fedder 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 Fedder

The surname FEDDER is of German origin, derived from the Old High German word "fëdara," meaning "feather" or "plume." It likely originated as an occupational name for a feather worker or someone involved in the trade of feathers.

The earliest recorded instances of the name FEDDER can be traced back to the 13th century in various regions of Germany, particularly in the areas around Saxony and Thuringia. Some of the earliest known bearers of the name include Johannes Fedder, mentioned in a document from the city of Dresden in 1274, and Albrecht Fedder, a merchant from Erfurt, recorded in 1289.

During the Middle Ages, the name FEDDER appeared in various municipal records and tax rolls across German territories. It is also found in some historical chronicles and manuscripts from that period, although the name's prominence was relatively minor compared to other more widespread surnames.

One notable historical figure bearing the surname FEDDER was Johann Fedder (1528-1591), a German theologian and reformer who played a significant role in the Protestant Reformation in the city of Magdeburg.

In the 17th century, the name FEDDER began to spread beyond Germany as some families migrated to other parts of Europe and the Americas. For example, Hans Fedder (1621-1687), a German immigrant to the Dutch colony of New Netherland (present-day New York), was among the earliest recorded bearers of the name in North America.

Other notable individuals with the surname FEDDER include Friedrich Wilhelm Fedder (1792-1868), a German writer and journalist who published several works on literature and culture, and Hermann Fedder (1851-1932), a German politician and member of the Reichstag (Imperial Diet) in the late 19th century.

In the 20th century, one of the most well-known individuals with the surname FEDDER was the German actor Jan Fedder (1955-2019), who gained widespread popularity for his roles in various television series and films, particularly in his portrayal of the character Dirk Matthies in the long-running German police procedural series "Großstadtrevier."

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Fedder

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

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

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

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