2000
#131,366
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 119
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Feigelson
A surname of Germanic Jewish origin, possibly derived from the Yiddish word "feygl" meaning "bird".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 130 Americans carry the last name Feigelson. That puts it at #147,221 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,636,572 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Feigelson 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
130
1 in 2,636,572
Census rank
#147,221
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
113
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 113 bearers of the surname Feigelson in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 147221st position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Feigelson, the largest self-reported group is White at 96.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Feigelson
The surname Feigelson is of Ashkenazi Jewish origin, tracing its roots back to the Yiddish language spoken by Jews in Eastern and Central Europe. The name is believed to have originated in the 19th century, possibly derived from the Yiddish word "feygl," meaning "bird."
The earliest known record of the Feigelson surname can be found in the shtetls (small Jewish towns) of modern-day Poland and Ukraine. It is likely that the name was initially adopted as a descriptive surname, referring to a person's physical appearance, occupation, or personality trait associated with birds.
One notable bearer of the Feigelson name was Rabbi Yitzchak Feigelson (1876-1943), a prominent Orthodox Jewish scholar and author from Lublin, Poland. His works on Talmudic law and Jewish mysticism were widely studied and revered within the Jewish community.
Another individual of historical significance was Rachel Feigelson (1898-1942), a Polish-Jewish educator and activist. She dedicated her life to promoting education and social welfare programs for underprivileged children in Warsaw before perishing in the Holocaust.
In the realm of literature, Joseph Feigelson (1922-2008) was a renowned Yiddish poet and translator. Born in Vilnius, Lithuania, his works celebrated the rich cultural heritage of Eastern European Jewry and preserved the linguistic nuances of the Yiddish language.
The Feigelson surname also has connections to the world of music. Mordechai Feigelson (1874-1944) was a renowned cantor and composer of liturgical music in Łódź, Poland, known for his innovative interpretations of traditional Jewish melodies.
Lastly, Shlomo Feigelson (1884-1944) was a prominent Zionist leader and activist from Kraków, Poland. He played a crucial role in advocating for the establishment of a Jewish homeland in Palestine and worked tirelessly to support the immigration of European Jews to the region.
While the Feigelson surname may have originated from humble beginnings, it has left an indelible mark on Jewish history, culture, and intellectual discourse over the centuries. The name's legacy continues to be carried forward by its bearers, serving as a testament to the resilience and contributions of the Ashkenazi Jewish community.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Feigelson
Among Census respondents with the surname Feigelson, the largest self-reported group is White at 96.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Feigelson 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 Feigelson surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White96.5% · 109
- Hispanic or Latino3.5% · 4
Timeline
Historical Census data for Feigelson
Feigelson 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
#143,149
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 116
-3 bearers (-2.5%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 11,783 places
2020
#147,221
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 113
-3 bearers (-2.6%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 4,072 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #131,366 | 119 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #143,149 | 116 | 0.04 | -3 bearers (-2.5%) | Down 11,783 places |
| 2020 | #147,221 | 113 | 0.04 | -3 bearers (-2.6%) | Down 4,072 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 Feigelson 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 | #143,149 | #147,221 | -2.8% |
| Count | 116 | 113 | -2.6% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -5.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Feigelson bearers went from 116 to 113 (-2.6% change). The surname moved down 4,072 positions in the national ranking, going from #143,149 to #147,221.
FAQ
Feigelson surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Feigelson?
Name Census estimates that about 130 living Americans carry the surname Feigelson. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,636,572 residents.
How common is Feigelson?
Feigelson ranks #147,221 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 113 people with the surname Feigelson. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (130), 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 Feigelson.
Has Feigelson become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Feigelson went from 116 recorded bearers to 113. That is a decrease of 3 (-2.6%). In the national ranking it fell from #143,149 to #147,221.
What does the Census say about the background of Feigelson?
Among Census respondents with the surname Feigelson, the largest self-reported group is White at 96.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.5%). 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 Feigelson in the 2020 Census, accounting for 96.5% (109 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Feigelson appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (96.5%), Hispanic (3.5%). 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 Feigelson (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 Feigelson mean?
A surname of Germanic Jewish origin, possibly derived from the Yiddish word "feygl" meaning "bird". 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 Feigelson (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 Americans have the surname Feigelson?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.