2000
#2,767
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 11,976
First available Census row
Per 100,000 4.44
Uncommon Last name
Felder
An occupational surname for a person who worked or lived in fields or open country.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 14,257 Americans carry the last name Felder. That puts it at #2,817 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 4.16 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 24,041 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Felder 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
14K
1 in 24,041
Census rank
#2,817
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
4.2
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
12K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 12,433 bearers of the surname Felder in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 4.16 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 2817th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Felder, the largest self-reported group is Black at 65.2%. The next largest groups are White (25.7%) and Two or More Races (5.1%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Felder
The surname Felder is believed to have originated in Germany, with the earliest known records dating back to the 13th century. It is derived from the Middle High German word "velt," which means "field" or "open land." This suggests that the name initially referred to someone who lived or worked in a field or open area.
One of the earliest known references to the name Felder can be found in a manuscript from the year 1274, which mentions a person named "Henricus de Veldere." This suggests that the name was already in use during that time period and may have been associated with a specific location or region.
Over time, the name Felder underwent various spelling variations, such as Veldere, Feldere, and Felter, reflecting the linguistic and regional differences across different parts of Germany. Some of these variations may have also been influenced by the introduction of surnames in different areas at different times.
During the Middle Ages, the name Felder appeared in various records and documents throughout Germany. For example, in the 14th century, there are records of a family named Felder residing in the town of Ulm, located in the southern part of the country.
One notable individual with the surname Felder was Johann Caspar Felder, a German painter and engraver who lived from 1626 to 1691. He is known for his religious paintings and engravings, many of which can be found in churches and museums throughout Germany.
Another historically significant figure with the name Felder was Friedrich Ernst Felder, a German military officer who served in the Prussian Army during the 18th century. He was born in 1735 and played a significant role in the Silesian Wars, a series of conflicts between Prussia and Austria over the territory of Silesia.
In the 19th century, Carl Felder, a German architect and urban planner, made significant contributions to the development of several cities in Germany, including Berlin and Hamburg. He was born in 1818 and is particularly known for his work on public housing projects and urban infrastructure.
Another noteworthy individual with the surname Felder was Franz Felder, a German botanist and plant collector who lived from 1839 to 1869. He conducted extensive research on the flora of various regions in Europe and made significant contributions to the field of botany.
The name Felder has also been associated with various place names throughout Germany, such as Felderbach, a town in the state of Baden-Württemberg, and Felderstadt, a district in the city of Nuremberg. These place names may have influenced the development and spread of the surname over time.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Felder
Among Census respondents with the surname Felder, the largest self-reported group is Black at 65.2%. The next largest groups are White (25.7%) and Two or More Races (5.1%).
The bar chart below shows how Felder 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 Felder surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Black or African American65.2% · 8,102
- White25.7% · 3,191
- Two or more races5.1% · 634
- Hispanic or Latino3.3% · 416
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.5% · 59
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 31
Timeline
Historical Census data for Felder
Felder 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
#2,714
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 13,257
+1,281 bearers (+10.7%)
Per 100,000 4.49
Rank movement Up 53 places
2020
#2,817
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 12,433
-824 bearers (-6.2%)
Per 100,000 4.16
Rank movement Down 103 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #2,767 | 11,976 | 4.44 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #2,714 | 13,257 | 4.49 | +1,281 bearers (+10.7%) | Up 53 places |
| 2020 | #2,817 | 12,433 | 4.16 | -824 bearers (-6.2%) | Down 103 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 Felder 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 | #2,714 | #2,817 | -3.8% |
| Count | 13,257 | 12,433 | -6.2% |
| Per 100K | 4.49 | 4.16 | -7.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Felder bearers went from 13,257 to 12,433 (-6.2% change). The surname moved down 103 positions in the national ranking, going from #2,714 to #2,817.
FAQ
Felder surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Felder?
Name Census estimates that about 14,257 living Americans carry the surname Felder. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 24,041 residents.
How common is Felder?
Felder ranks #2,817 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 4.16 per 100,000 residents, which is about 4 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 12,433 people with the surname Felder. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (14,257), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 4.16 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 4.16 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 4 of them to have the surname Felder.
Has Felder become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Felder went from 13,257 recorded bearers to 12,433. That is a decrease of 824 (-6.2%). In the national ranking it fell from #2,714 to #2,817.
What does the Census say about the background of Felder?
Among Census respondents with the surname Felder, the largest self-reported group is Black at 65.2%. The next largest groups are White (25.7%) and Two or More Races (5.1%). 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?
Black is the largest self-reported group for the surname Felder in the 2020 Census, accounting for 65.2% (8,102 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Felder appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Black (65.2%), White (25.7%), Two or More Races (5.1%). 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 Felder (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 Felder mean?
An occupational surname for a person who worked or lived in fields or open country. 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 Felder (4.16 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 Felder?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.