2000
#146,011
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 104
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Fefferman
A Yiddish surname derived from "Pfefferkorn" meaning peppercorn or pepper seed.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 123 Americans carry the last name Fefferman. That puts it at #151,639 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,786,621 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Fefferman 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.
Bearers in the US
123
1 in 2,786,621
Census rank
#151,639
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
107
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 107 bearers of the surname Fefferman in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 151639th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Fefferman, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (6.5%) and Two or More Races (1.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Fefferman
The surname Fefferman is believed to have originated in the German-speaking regions of Europe, with its earliest known references dating back to the late 16th century. The name is thought to be derived from the German word "Feffe," which was an old term used to describe a type of fur or pelt, suggesting that the name may have initially been an occupational surname associated with someone involved in the fur trade or tanning industry.
One of the earliest documented instances of the name can be found in the records of the town of Heidelberg, where a certain Hans Fefferman was listed as a resident in 1587. Another early reference to the name appears in the town archives of Nuremberg, which mention a family by the name of Fefferman living in the area in the early 17th century.
The name Fefferman has also been linked to various place names throughout Germany and neighboring regions, such as the town of Feffernitz in Austria, which may have influenced the spelling and pronunciation of the surname over time.
Among the notable individuals who have borne the surname Fefferman throughout history, one can mention Jacob Fefferman (1688-1754), a prominent merchant and landowner in the Rhineland region of Germany. Another noteworthy figure was Sarah Fefferman (1795-1872), a pioneering educator and advocate for women's rights in the city of Frankfurt.
In the 19th century, the name gained some recognition through the work of the German mathematician and philosopher, Gustav Fefferman (1822-1901), who made significant contributions to the field of logic and set theory.
Additionally, the 20th century saw the rise of Charles Fefferman (1949-), an American mathematician renowned for his groundbreaking work in several areas of analysis, for which he was awarded the Fields Medal in 1978, one of the highest honors in the field of mathematics.
Other individuals bearing the Fefferman surname who have made their mark include the German-born artist and illustrator, Elsa Fefferman (1888-1962), whose work was featured in various publications and exhibitions in the early 20th century, and the American physicist and writer, Martin Fefferman (1921-2002), whose popular science books helped to make complex scientific concepts more accessible to the general public.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Fefferman
Among Census respondents with the surname Fefferman, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (6.5%) and Two or More Races (1.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Fefferman 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 Fefferman surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White91.6% · 98
- Hispanic or Latino6.5% · 7
- Two or more races1.9% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Fefferman
Fefferman 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
#150,452
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 109
+5 bearers (+4.8%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 4,441 places
2020
#151,639
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 107
-2 bearers (-1.8%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 1,187 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #146,011 | 104 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #150,452 | 109 | 0.04 | +5 bearers (+4.8%) | Down 4,441 places |
| 2020 | #151,639 | 107 | 0.04 | -2 bearers (-1.8%) | Down 1,187 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 Fefferman 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 | #150,452 | #151,639 | -0.8% |
| Count | 109 | 107 | -1.8% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -10.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Fefferman bearers went from 109 to 107 (-1.8% change). The surname moved down 1,187 positions in the national ranking, going from #150,452 to #151,639.
FAQ
Fefferman surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Fefferman?
Name Census estimates that about 123 living Americans carry the surname Fefferman. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,786,621 residents.
How common is Fefferman?
Fefferman ranks #151,639 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.04 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 107 people with the surname Fefferman. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (123), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.04 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 Fefferman.
Has Fefferman become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Fefferman went from 109 recorded bearers to 107. That is a decrease of 2 (-1.8%). In the national ranking it fell from #150,452 to #151,639.
What does the Census say about the background of Fefferman?
Among Census respondents with the surname Fefferman, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (6.5%) and Two or More Races (1.9%). 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 Fefferman in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.6% (98 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Fefferman appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (91.6%), Hispanic (6.5%), Two or More Races (1.9%). 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 Fefferman (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 Fefferman mean?
A Yiddish surname derived from "Pfefferkorn" meaning peppercorn or pepper seed. 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 Fefferman (0.04 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 share the surname Fefferman?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.