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

Fekete, 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 Fekete surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Fekete in America

Fekete is the 14669th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Fekete surname appeared 2,027 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 Fekete.

We can also compare 2010 data for Fekete 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 Fekete

The surname "FEKETE" is of Hungarian origin, derived from the Hungarian word "fekete" meaning "black" or "dark". This name likely originated in the medieval period, possibly as a nickname or descriptive term for someone with dark hair, a dark complexion, or dark clothing.

One of the earliest known references to the surname Fekete can be found in the Anjou-kori Okmánytár, a collection of medieval Hungarian charters and documents from the 14th century. The name appears in these records, indicating its usage during this time period in Hungary.

In the 15th century, a notable figure bearing the surname Fekete was János Fekete, a Hungarian nobleman and military commander who served under King Matthias Corvinus. He played a significant role in the wars against the Ottoman Empire and was awarded lands and titles for his service.

During the 16th century, the Fekete family established themselves as landowners and nobles in various regions of Hungary. One prominent member was István Fekete, who lived from 1540 to 1604 and held the title of Lord of Galánta.

In the 17th century, the Fekete surname appeared in records related to the Hungarian Uprising against the Habsburgs. Mihály Fekete, born in 1630, was a military leader and supporter of Prince Ferenc Rákóczi II during this conflict.

The 19th century saw the emergence of several notable individuals with the surname Fekete. Móric Fekete (1833-1887) was a Hungarian painter and lithographer known for his landscapes and genre scenes. Another figure was János Fekete (1842-1916), a Hungarian writer and journalist who contributed significantly to the development of Hungarian literature.

Other notable individuals with the surname Fekete include Gyula Fekete (1922-2010), a Hungarian writer and screenwriter best known for his novels and children's books, and István Fekete (1900-1970), a Hungarian writer and naturalist celebrated for his works depicting rural life and the natural world.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Fekete

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

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

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

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