2000
#132,259
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 118
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Fehlen
A German surname derived from the verb "fehlen," meaning "to lack" or "to miss."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 132 Americans carry the last name Fehlen. That puts it at #145,757 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,596,624 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Fehlen 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
132
1 in 2,596,624
Census rank
#145,757
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
115
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 115 bearers of the surname Fehlen in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 145757th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Fehlen, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.7%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (10.4%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (0.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Fehlen
The surname "FEHLEN" is of German origin, with its roots tracing back to the medieval era. This name is believed to have originated in the region of Bavaria, Germany, where it was derived from the Middle High German word "veln," meaning "to fail" or "to be lacking."
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name "FEHLEN" can be found in the Codex Diplomaticus Saxoniae Regiae, a collection of historical documents from the Kingdom of Saxony, dated to the 13th century. In this collection, a nobleman named Heinrich Fehlen is mentioned as a witness to a land transaction in the year 1257.
In the 15th century, the name appears in the records of the city of Nuremberg, where a merchant named Hans Fehlen is listed as a member of the local guild of traders. This suggests that the name had spread beyond its original Bavarian roots and had gained prominence in other parts of Germany.
The name "FEHLEN" is also associated with several notable figures throughout history. One such figure is Johann Fehlen (1521-1589), a Lutheran theologian and reformer who played a significant role in the Protestant Reformation in Saxony.
Another prominent individual was Sigismund Fehlen (1635-1701), a German composer and organist who served as the Kapellmeister (music director) at the court of the Dukes of Saxe-Weissenfels.
In the 18th century, the name "FEHLEN" gained recognition through the works of Friedrich Fehlen (1720-1792), a German philosopher and writer who was a proponent of the Enlightenment movement.
A notable figure from the 19th century was Wilhelm Fehlen (1815-1887), a German architect who designed several iconic buildings in Berlin, including the Reichstag building and the Berlin Cathedral.
In more recent times, the name "FEHLEN" has been associated with Hans Fehlen (1880-1945), a German politician who served as the Mayor of Berlin from 1933 to 1935, during the early years of the Nazi regime.
While the name "FEHLEN" may have originated from a specific region in Germany, it has since spread across the country and to other parts of the world, carried by individuals who have left their mark on various fields, from theology and philosophy to architecture and politics.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Fehlen
Among Census respondents with the surname Fehlen, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.7%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (10.4%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (0.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Fehlen 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 Fehlen surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White88.7% · 102
- Two or more races10.4% · 12
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Fehlen
Fehlen 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
#139,228
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 120
+2 bearers (+1.7%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 6,969 places
2020
#145,757
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 115
-5 bearers (-4.2%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 6,529 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #132,259 | 118 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #139,228 | 120 | 0.04 | +2 bearers (+1.7%) | Down 6,969 places |
| 2020 | #145,757 | 115 | 0.04 | -5 bearers (-4.2%) | Down 6,529 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 Fehlen 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 | #139,228 | #145,757 | -4.7% |
| Count | 120 | 115 | -4.2% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -3.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Fehlen bearers went from 120 to 115 (-4.2% change). The surname moved down 6,529 positions in the national ranking, going from #139,228 to #145,757.
FAQ
Fehlen surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Fehlen?
Name Census estimates that about 132 living Americans carry the surname Fehlen. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,596,624 residents.
How common is Fehlen?
Fehlen ranks #145,757 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 115 people with the surname Fehlen. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (132), 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 Fehlen.
Has Fehlen become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Fehlen went from 120 recorded bearers to 115. That is a decrease of 5 (-4.2%). In the national ranking it fell from #139,228 to #145,757.
What does the Census say about the background of Fehlen?
Among Census respondents with the surname Fehlen, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.7%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (10.4%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (0.9%). 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 Fehlen in the 2020 Census, accounting for 88.7% (102 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Fehlen appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (88.7%), Two or More Races (10.4%), Asian/Pacific Islander (0.9%). 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 Fehlen (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 Fehlen mean?
A German surname derived from the verb "fehlen," meaning "to lack" or "to miss." 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 Fehlen (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 Fehlen?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.