2000
#135,837
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 114
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Feisel
Of German origin, a metonymic occupational surname relating to a maker or seller of files.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 128 Americans carry the last name Feisel. That puts it at #147,954 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,677,768 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Feisel 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
128
1 in 2,677,768
Census rank
#147,954
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
112
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 112 bearers of the surname Feisel in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 147954th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Feisel, the largest self-reported group is White at 84.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (13.4%) and Two or More Races (1.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Feisel
The surname Feisel is of German origin and can be traced back to the late medieval period. It is believed to have derived from the German word "veilseln," which means "to peddle" or "to trade." This suggests that the earliest bearers of this name may have been merchants or traders.
In ancient records, the name appears with various spellings, such as Feissel, Feisl, and Feysl. One of the earliest documented instances of the name can be found in the 14th-century Bavarian town records, where a certain Hanns Feissl is mentioned as a resident of the city of Regensburg.
During the 16th and 17th centuries, the Feisel family seemed to have been well-established in the German regions of Bavaria and Franconia. Historical records from this period mention several individuals bearing this surname, including Johann Feisel, a respected scholar and theologian who lived in Nuremberg from 1535 to 1608.
As the Feisel family spread across German-speaking regions, the name also became associated with certain place names. For instance, the town of Feiselhausen in Bavaria is believed to have derived its name from the Feisel family who may have been among its earliest settlers.
Among the notable individuals with the surname Feisel throughout history, one can mention:
1. Heinrich Feisel (1638-1706), a German engraver and printmaker from Nuremberg, known for his intricate copperplate engravings and etchings.
2. Johann Georg Feisel (1765-1825), a German composer and organist from Bamberg, who composed numerous sacred works and orchestral pieces.
3. Karl Feisel (1865-1945), a German architect and urban planner who designed several notable buildings in Munich and other Bavarian cities.
4. Otto Feisel (1891-1953), a German politician and trade unionist who served as a member of the Reichstag during the Weimar Republic.
5. Eugen Feisel (1909-1971), an Austrian-American molecular biologist and biochemist, best known for his contributions to the study of nucleic acids and the development of chromatographic techniques.
While the surname Feisel may have evolved over time and spread to different parts of the world, its roots can be traced back to the medieval German regions, where it likely originated as an occupational name for traders or merchants.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Feisel
Among Census respondents with the surname Feisel, the largest self-reported group is White at 84.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (13.4%) and Two or More Races (1.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Feisel 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 Feisel surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White84.8% · 95
- Hispanic or Latino13.4% · 15
- Two or more races1.8% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Feisel
Feisel 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
#133,863
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 126
+12 bearers (+10.5%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 1,974 places
2020
#147,954
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 112
-14 bearers (-11.1%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 14,091 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #135,837 | 114 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #133,863 | 126 | 0.04 | +12 bearers (+10.5%) | Up 1,974 places |
| 2020 | #147,954 | 112 | 0.04 | -14 bearers (-11.1%) | Down 14,091 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 Feisel 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 | #133,863 | #147,954 | -10.5% |
| Count | 126 | 112 | -11.1% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -6.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Feisel bearers went from 126 to 112 (-11.1% change). The surname moved down 14,091 positions in the national ranking, going from #133,863 to #147,954.
FAQ
Feisel surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Feisel?
Name Census estimates that about 128 living Americans carry the surname Feisel. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,677,768 residents.
How common is Feisel?
Feisel ranks #147,954 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 112 people with the surname Feisel. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (128), 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 Feisel.
Has Feisel become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Feisel went from 126 recorded bearers to 112. That is a decrease of 14 (-11.1%). In the national ranking it fell from #133,863 to #147,954.
What does the Census say about the background of Feisel?
Among Census respondents with the surname Feisel, the largest self-reported group is White at 84.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (13.4%) and Two or More Races (1.8%). 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 Feisel in the 2020 Census, accounting for 84.8% (95 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Feisel appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (84.8%), Hispanic (13.4%), Two or More Races (1.8%). 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 Feisel (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 Feisel mean?
Of German origin, a metonymic occupational surname relating to a maker or seller of files. 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 Feisel (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 Feisel?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.