Find out how popular the last name Feil is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Feil.

Feil, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Feil surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Feil in America

Feil is the 23675th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Feil surname appeared 1,070 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 people would have the surname Feil.

We can also compare 2010 data for Feil to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name Feil

The surname Feil has its origins in Germany and can be traced back to the Middle Ages. It is derived from the German word "feilen," which means "to file" or "to smooth." This suggests that the name may have originally been an occupational surname for a person who worked as a filer or a metalworker.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Feil can be found in the Deutsches Familiennamen-Buch, a German dictionary of surnames published in the 19th century. This book mentions that the name Feil was present in various regions of Germany, including Bavaria and Saxony, as early as the 16th century.

The name Feil also appears in several historical records and manuscripts from various parts of Germany. For instance, there are records of individuals with the surname Feil in the parish registers of the town of Bamberg, in northern Bavaria, dating back to the late 17th century.

Among the notable individuals who bore the surname Feil throughout history is Johann Feil, a German philosopher and theologian who lived in the 18th century (1673-1726). Another prominent figure was Georg Feil, a German painter and engraver from the late 16th century (1562-1615), known for his religious artworks and portraits.

In the 19th century, there was a renowned German mathematician named Wilhelm Feil (1842-1902), who made significant contributions to the field of geometry. Additionally, the name Feil was associated with several places in Germany, such as Feilnbach, a town in Bavaria, which may have derived its name from the surname Feil or vice versa.

Furthermore, the surname Feil has been found in various historical records across Europe, suggesting that individuals with this name may have migrated to other regions over time. For example, there are records of individuals named Feil in the Czech Republic and Austria, possibly due to the close proximity and historical connections between these regions and Germany.

Overall, the surname Feil has a rich history rooted in medieval Germany, with its origins likely stemming from an occupational surname related to metalworking or filing. The name has been documented in numerous historical records and has been associated with various notable individuals and places throughout the centuries.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Feil

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Feil.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Feil was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Feil has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Feil was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Feil, please contact us.

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