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

Fee, 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 Fee surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Fee in America

Fee is the 5394th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Fee surname appeared 6,453 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 2 people would have the surname Fee.

We can also compare 2010 data for Fee 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 Fee

The surname Fee is of Old English origin, derived from the word 'feoh' meaning 'cattle' or 'property'. It was likely an occupational surname for a cowherd or someone who owned cattle or land. The name originated in areas of England where cattle farming was prevalent, such as the counties of Yorkshire, Lincolnshire, and Northumberland.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, where it appears as 'Feh'. This suggests that the name had already been established by the time of the Norman Conquest in the 11th century.

In the 13th century, the surname appeared in various forms, such as 'Fey', 'Feye', and 'Faye', reflecting the different regional dialects and spellings of the time. The modern spelling of 'Fee' became more standardized in the 16th and 17th centuries.

Notable individuals with the surname Fee throughout history include:

1. Sir John Fee (c. 1490 - 1560), an English politician and landowner who served as a Member of Parliament during the reign of Henry VIII.
2. Robert Fee (1773 - 1858), a Scottish minister and missionary who established churches in Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island.
3. Mary Fee (1876 - 1962), an American educator and social reformer who advocated for the rights of African American children.
4. Walter Fee (1901 - 1984), a British author and journalist known for his works on military history and aviation.
5. Gordon Fee (born 1934), an American biblical scholar and professor emeritus at Regent College in Vancouver, Canada.

Variations of the name can also be found in place names, such as Featherstone, derived from the Old English 'Feother-stan' meaning 'feathery or mossy stone'. The Fee surname has been present in various regions of the British Isles for centuries and has since spread to other parts of the world through migration and immigration.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Fee

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

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

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

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