2010
#143,149
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 116
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Feigh
A variant spelling of the German surname Feick, from the Middle High German word vic meaning calf.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 134 Americans carry the last name Feigh. That puts it at #144,270 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,557,868 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Feigh 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
134
1 in 2,557,868
Census rank
#144,270
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
117
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 117 bearers of the surname Feigh in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 144270th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Feigh, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.7%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (3.4%) and Two or More Races (3.4%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Feigh
The surname FEIGH has its origins in Germany, dating back to the 16th century. It is believed to have derived from the Old German word "feige," which means "cowardly" or "timid." This term was likely used as a descriptive nickname for someone perceived as having a meek or timid demeanor.
In its early days, the name was primarily concentrated in the southern regions of Germany, particularly in the states of Bavaria and Baden-Württemberg. Some of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in church records and local tax rolls from these areas.
One of the earliest known bearers of the surname FEIGH was Hans Feigh, a farmer who lived in the village of Dachau, near Munich, in the late 16th century. Records indicate that he was born around 1570 and died sometime in the early 1600s.
Another notable figure was Johann Feigh, a Lutheran minister who lived in the city of Ulm in the 17th century. He was born in 1621 and served as a pastor in Ulm until his death in 1689. Historical accounts suggest that he played a significant role in the religious and cultural life of the city during his time.
In the 18th century, the surname FEIGH began to spread beyond its traditional German heartland. One prominent individual from this period was Friedrich Feigh, a German-born composer and musician who lived in Vienna, Austria, from 1735 to 1808. He was known for his contributions to the classical music scene of the time.
As the 19th century dawned, the name FEIGH continued to appear in various regions of Europe. One notable bearer was Karl Feigh, a German-born entrepreneur who established a successful textile business in the city of Ghent, Belgium. He was born in 1812 and lived until 1891.
Another individual of note was Wilhelm Feigh, a German-born artist and painter who lived in Paris, France, during the latter half of the 19th century. He was born in 1829 and is known for his landscapes and portraits, which were widely acclaimed during his lifetime.
While the surname FEIGH has its roots in Germany, it has since spread to other parts of the world due to migration and cultural exchange. However, detailed historical records and references to the name become more scarce in more recent times, as census data and other modern records are less reliable for tracing the origins and evolution of surnames over the centuries.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Feigh
Among Census respondents with the surname Feigh, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.7%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (3.4%) and Two or More Races (3.4%).
The bar chart below shows how Feigh 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 Feigh surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White89.7% · 105
- Asian and Pacific Islander3.4% · 4
- Two or more races3.4% · 4
- Hispanic or Latino2.6% · 3
- Black or African American0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Feigh
Feigh appears in 2 published Census surname files: 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2020
#144,270
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 117
+1 bearers (+0.9%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 1,121 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #143,149 | 116 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #144,270 | 117 | 0.04 | +1 bearers (+0.9%) | Down 1,121 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 Feigh 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 | #144,270 | -0.8% |
| Count | 116 | 117 | 0.9% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -2.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Feigh bearers went from 116 to 117 (+0.9% change). The surname moved down 1,121 positions in the national ranking, going from #143,149 to #144,270.
FAQ
Feigh surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Feigh?
Name Census estimates that about 134 living Americans carry the surname Feigh. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,557,868 residents.
How common is Feigh?
Feigh ranks #144,270 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 117 people with the surname Feigh. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (134), 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 Feigh.
Has Feigh become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Feigh went from 116 recorded bearers to 117. That is an increase of 1 (+0.9%). In the national ranking it fell from #143,149 to #144,270.
What does the Census say about the background of Feigh?
Among Census respondents with the surname Feigh, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.7%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (3.4%) and Two or More Races (3.4%). 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 Feigh in the 2020 Census, accounting for 89.7% (105 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Feigh appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (89.7%), Asian/Pacific Islander (3.4%), Two or More Races (3.4%). 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 Feigh (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 Feigh mean?
A variant spelling of the German surname Feick, from the Middle High German word vic meaning calf. 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 Feigh (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 common is the surname Feigh?
See how many people have the last name Feigh on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.