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

Feist, 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 Feist surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Feist in America

Feist is the 8681st most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Feist surname appeared 3,784 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 1 people would have the surname Feist.

We can also compare 2010 data for Feist 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 Feist

The surname Feist originated in Germany, with its earliest recorded instances dating back to the 16th century. The name is derived from the Middle High German word "veist," which means "fat" or "plump." This suggests that the name was initially a descriptive nickname given to someone of a stout or robust build.

One of the earliest recorded mentions of the Feist surname can be found in the town records of Augsburg, Germany, from the year 1525. The entry refers to a certain "Hans Feist," indicating that the name was already in use at that time.

In the 17th century, the Feist name appeared in various German church records and tax registers. For instance, a "Peter Feist" was listed as a landowner in the village of Rottenburg in 1632, while a "Johann Feist" was recorded as a resident of the city of Nürnberg in 1671.

The name Feist also has connections to several place names in Germany. The town of Feistenhausen, located in the state of Bavaria, is believed to be derived from the same root word as the surname. Additionally, the village of Feistritzsattel in Austria may also have a linguistic link to the name.

Notable individuals with the Feist surname include:

1. Johann Feist (1535-1592), a German Protestant theologian and writer.
2. Anselm Feist (1701-1778), a German painter and engraver from Augsburg.
3. Kaspar Feist (1768-1846), a German writer and teacher from Saxony.
4. Wilhelm Feist (1828-1889), a German painter and illustrator from Berlin.
5. Siegmund Feist (1865-1943), a German philologist and linguist known for his work on Indo-European languages.

While the Feist surname is most commonly associated with Germany, it has also been found in other parts of Europe, particularly in areas with historical German settlements or influence. However, the name's origins and earliest recorded instances can be traced back to the heart of Germany, where it emerged as a descriptive nickname several centuries ago.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Feist

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

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 Feist 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 Feist 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 Feist was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

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

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