2000
#142,819
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 107
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Feek
A surname likely derived from a nickname for someone with a hooked or crooked nose.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 111 Americans carry the last name Feek. That puts it at #156,449 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.03 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 3,087,877 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Feek 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 Feek with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
111
1 in 3,087,877
Census rank
#156,449
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
97
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 97 bearers of the surname Feek in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.03 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 156449th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Feek, the largest self-reported group is White at 97.9%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.1%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Feek
The surname FEEK originated in England during the medieval period. It is believed to have derived from the Old English word "fic," which referred to a small fig-like growth or skin tag. This suggests that the name may have been initially given as a nickname to someone with a prominent mole or birthmark.
The earliest known record of the surname FEEK dates back to the 13th century in the county of Yorkshire. A family by the name of Feke is mentioned in the Hundred Rolls of 1273, an ancient census conducted during the reign of King Edward I.
In the 14th century, the surname appeared in various spellings, such as Feike, Feyk, and Feyke, reflecting regional dialects and variations in pronunciation. One notable example is found in the Court Rolls of the Manor of Wakefield from 1348, where a certain John Feyke is listed as a tenant farmer.
During the 15th century, the surname FEEK began to spread beyond Yorkshire to other parts of England. The Lay Subsidy Rolls of 1524 record a Thomas Feek living in the county of Somerset.
One of the earliest known bearers of the FEEK surname was Sir William Feek (1490-1558), a wealthy merchant and alderman in the city of London. He was a prominent figure in the city's guild system and served as the Master of the Worshipful Company of Vintners in 1542.
Another notable individual was John Feek (1570-1638), a Puritan minister and author from Oxfordshire. He is best known for his work "The Sinner's Guide to Repentance," published in 1632.
In the 17th century, the FEEK surname gained further recognition with the birth of Sir Roger Feek (1615-1690), a prominent lawyer and judge who served as the Lord Chief Justice of Ireland from 1679 to 1687.
During the same period, Elizabeth Feek (1630-1691) was a well-known Quaker preacher and writer from Lancashire. She authored several religious tracts and traveled extensively, spreading her faith throughout England and Ireland.
In the 18th century, the name FEEK was carried to the American colonies by early settlers. One such individual was Thomas Feek (1725-1802), a farmer and Revolutionary War veteran from Pennsylvania.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Feek
Among Census respondents with the surname Feek, the largest self-reported group is White at 97.9%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.1%).
The bar chart below shows how Feek 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 Feek surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White97.9% · 95
- Two or more races2.1% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Feek
Feek 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
#140,157
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 119
+12 bearers (+11.2%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 2,662 places
2020
#156,449
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 97
-22 bearers (-18.5%)
Per 100,000 0.03
Rank movement Down 16,292 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #142,819 | 107 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #140,157 | 119 | 0.04 | +12 bearers (+11.2%) | Up 2,662 places |
| 2020 | #156,449 | 97 | 0.03 | -22 bearers (-18.5%) | Down 16,292 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 Feek 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 | #140,157 | #156,449 | -11.6% |
| Count | 119 | 97 | -18.5% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.03 | -18.9% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Feek bearers went from 119 to 97 (-18.5% change). The surname moved down 16,292 positions in the national ranking, going from #140,157 to #156,449.
FAQ
Feek surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Feek?
Name Census estimates that about 111 living Americans carry the surname Feek. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 3,087,877 residents.
How common is Feek?
Feek ranks #156,449 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.03 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 97 people with the surname Feek. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (111), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.03 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.03 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Feek.
Has Feek become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Feek went from 119 recorded bearers to 97. That is a decrease of 22 (-18.5%). In the national ranking it fell from #140,157 to #156,449.
What does the Census say about the background of Feek?
Among Census respondents with the surname Feek, the largest self-reported group is White at 97.9%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.1%). 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 Feek in the 2020 Census, accounting for 97.9% (95 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Feek appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (97.9%), Two or More Races (2.1%). 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 Feek (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 Feek mean?
A surname likely derived from a nickname for someone with a hooked or crooked nose. 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 Feek (0.03 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 last name Feek?
Want to know how many Americans have the surname Feek? HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, puts the living-bearer count front and centre.