2010
#146,201
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 113
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Feinour
A variant of the German surname Feiner, meaning "fine" or "delicate".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 122 Americans carry the last name Feinour. That puts it at #152,339 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,809,462 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Feinour 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
122
1 in 2,809,462
Census rank
#152,339
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
106
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 106 bearers of the surname Feinour in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 152339th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Feinour, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.6%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (8.5%) and Black (0.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Feinour
The surname Feinour originated in Germany, dating back to the early 16th century. It is believed to be derived from the German word "fein," meaning "fine" or "delicate," potentially indicating a connection to a skilled craftsman or a person with a refined demeanor.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the Feinour name can be found in the parish records of the town of Darmstadt, located in the state of Hesse, Germany. These records, dating back to the late 1500s, mention a family by the name of Feinaur, which is likely an earlier spelling variation.
In the 17th century, the Feinour name appeared in various historical documents across Germany, particularly in the regions of Bavaria and Saxony. This suggests that the name had spread and gained recognition throughout different parts of the country.
Notably, in 1684, a man named Johann Feinour was recorded as a master woodcarver in the city of Nuremberg, a renowned center for craftsmanship during that era. His intricate woodcarvings adorned several churches and wealthy households in the region, cementing his reputation as a skilled artisan.
As the centuries passed, the Feinour name continued to be found in various German records, including church registers, tax rolls, and military documents. One notable figure was Karl Feinour, a renowned composer born in Leipzig in 1793. His compositions, particularly his choral works, gained widespread acclaim during his lifetime.
Another prominent individual bearing the Feinour surname was Wilhelmina Feinour, born in 1824 in the town of Freiburg. She was a renowned educator and advocate for women's rights, establishing one of the first schools for girls in the region and campaigning tirelessly for equal educational opportunities.
In the late 19th century, as German immigration to the United States increased, the Feinour name began to appear in American records as well. One of the earliest documented Feinours in America was Heinrich Feinour, who arrived in New York City in 1892 from the town of Heidelberg.
While the origins of the Feinour name can be traced back to Germany, over time, it has spread across various parts of the world, carried by generations of individuals bearing this surname and leaving their mark on diverse communities and cultures.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Feinour
Among Census respondents with the surname Feinour, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.6%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (8.5%) and Black (0.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Feinour 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 Feinour surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White89.6% · 95
- Two or more races8.5% · 9
- Black or African American0.9% · 1
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Feinour
Feinour 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
#152,339
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 106
-7 bearers (-6.2%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 6,138 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #146,201 | 113 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #152,339 | 106 | 0.04 | -7 bearers (-6.2%) | Down 6,138 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 Feinour 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 | #146,201 | #152,339 | -4.2% |
| Count | 113 | 106 | -6.2% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -11.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Feinour bearers went from 113 to 106 (-6.2% change). The surname moved down 6,138 positions in the national ranking, going from #146,201 to #152,339.
FAQ
Feinour surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Feinour?
Name Census estimates that about 122 living Americans carry the surname Feinour. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,809,462 residents.
How common is Feinour?
Feinour ranks #152,339 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 106 people with the surname Feinour. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (122), 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 Feinour.
Has Feinour become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Feinour went from 113 recorded bearers to 106. That is a decrease of 7 (-6.2%). In the national ranking it fell from #146,201 to #152,339.
What does the Census say about the background of Feinour?
Among Census respondents with the surname Feinour, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.6%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (8.5%) and Black (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 Feinour in the 2020 Census, accounting for 89.6% (95 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Feinour appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (89.6%), Two or More Races (8.5%), Black (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 Feinour (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 Feinour mean?
A variant of the German surname Feiner, meaning "fine" or "delicate". 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 Feinour (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 Feinour?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.