2000
#4,819
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 6,687
First available Census row
Per 100,000 2.48
Rare Last name
Fee
An English and Irish surname derived from the Middle English word "fe," meaning "cattle, property, or money."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 7,067 Americans carry the last name Fee. That puts it at #5,455 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 2.06 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 48,501 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Fee 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.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Fee with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
7.1K
1 in 48,501
Census rank
#5,455
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
2.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
6.2K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 6,163 bearers of the surname Fee in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 2.06 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 5455th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Fee, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.9%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.7%) and Hispanic (3.2%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of 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.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Fee
Among Census respondents with the surname Fee, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.9%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.7%) and Hispanic (3.2%).
The bar chart below shows how Fee 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 Fee surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White88.9% · 5,478
- Two or more races3.7% · 230
- Hispanic or Latino3.2% · 197
- Black or African American2.5% · 152
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.3% · 82
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.4% · 24
Timeline
Historical Census data for Fee
Fee appears in 3 published Census surname files: 2000, 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2010
#5,394
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 6,453
-234 bearers (-3.5%)
Per 100,000 2.19
Rank movement Down 575 places
2020
#5,455
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 6,163
-290 bearers (-4.5%)
Per 100,000 2.06
Rank movement Down 61 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #4,819 | 6,687 | 2.48 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #5,394 | 6,453 | 2.19 | -234 bearers (-3.5%) | Down 575 places |
| 2020 | #5,455 | 6,163 | 2.06 | -290 bearers (-4.5%) | Down 61 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 Fee 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 | #5,394 | #5,455 | -1.1% |
| Count | 6,453 | 6,163 | -4.5% |
| Per 100K | 2.19 | 2.06 | -5.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Fee bearers went from 6,453 to 6,163 (-4.5% change). The surname moved down 61 positions in the national ranking, going from #5,394 to #5,455.
FAQ
Fee surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Fee?
Name Census estimates that about 7,067 living Americans carry the surname Fee. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 48,501 residents.
How common is Fee?
Fee ranks #5,455 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 2.06 per 100,000 residents, which is about 2 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 6,163 people with the surname Fee. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (7,067), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 2.06 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 2.06 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 2 of them to have the surname Fee.
Has Fee become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Fee went from 6,453 recorded bearers to 6,163. That is a decrease of 290 (-4.5%). In the national ranking it fell from #5,394 to #5,455.
What does the Census say about the background of Fee?
Among Census respondents with the surname Fee, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.9%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.7%) and Hispanic (3.2%). 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 Fee in the 2020 Census, accounting for 88.9% (5,478 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Fee appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (88.9%), Two or More Races (3.7%), Hispanic (3.2%). 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 Fee (2000, 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 Fee mean?
An English and Irish surname derived from the Middle English word "fe," meaning "cattle, property, or money." 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 Fee (2.06 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 people have the surname Fee?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.