2000
#14,995
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,809
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.67
Rare Last name
Feil
A surname of German origin meaning "faulty" or "defective".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,324 Americans carry the last name Feil. That puts it at #14,217 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.68 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 147,485 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Feil 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
2.3K
1 in 147,485
Census rank
#14,217
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.0K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,027 bearers of the surname Feil in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.68 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 14217th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Feil, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.7%) and Two or More Races (3.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of 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.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Feil
Among Census respondents with the surname Feil, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.7%) and Two or More Races (3.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Feil 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 Feil surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White91.7% · 1,858
- Hispanic or Latino3.7% · 75
- Two or more races3.0% · 61
- Black or African American0.7% · 15
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 13
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 5
Timeline
Historical Census data for Feil
Feil 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
#23,675
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,070
-739 bearers (-40.9%)
Per 100,000 0.36
Rank movement Down 8,680 places
2020
#14,217
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,027
+957 bearers (+89.4%)
Per 100,000 0.68
Rank movement Up 9,458 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #14,995 | 1,809 | 0.67 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #23,675 | 1,070 | 0.36 | -739 bearers (-40.9%) | Down 8,680 places |
| 2020 | #14,217 | 2,027 | 0.68 | +957 bearers (+89.4%) | Up 9,458 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 Feil 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 | #23,675 | #14,217 | 39.9% |
| Count | 1,070 | 2,027 | 89.4% |
| Per 100K | 0.36 | 0.68 | 88.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Feil bearers went from 1,070 to 2,027 (+89.4% change). The surname moved up 9,458 positions in the national ranking, going from #23,675 to #14,217.
FAQ
Feil surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Feil?
Name Census estimates that about 2,324 living Americans carry the surname Feil. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 147,485 residents.
How common is Feil?
Feil ranks #14,217 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.68 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 2,027 people with the surname Feil. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,324), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.68 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.68 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Feil.
Has Feil become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Feil went from 1,070 recorded bearers to 2,027. That is an increase of 957 (+89.4%). In the national ranking it rose from #23,675 to #14,217.
What does the Census say about the background of Feil?
Among Census respondents with the surname Feil, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.7%) and Two or More Races (3.0%). 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 Feil in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.7% (1,858 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Feil appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (91.7%), Hispanic (3.7%), Two or More Races (3.0%). 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 Feil (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 Feil mean?
A surname of German origin meaning "faulty" or "defective". 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 Feil (0.68 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 Feil?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.