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

Felix, 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 Felix surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Felix in America

Felix is the 863rd most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Felix surname appeared 40,165 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 14 people would have the surname Felix.

We can also compare 2010 data for Felix 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 Felix

The surname Felix has its origins in Latin, derived from the word "felix" meaning "happy" or "fortunate." This name was initially used as a cognomen, or a personal name, by ancient Roman families.

The earliest recorded use of Felix as a surname dates back to the Middle Ages in various regions of Italy, particularly in the northern cities of Milan and Venice. It is believed that some of the first bearers of this surname were families who had established themselves as prosperous merchants or influential citizens within these cities.

During the late 11th century, the Domesday Book, a comprehensive survey of landholdings in England commissioned by William the Conqueror, recorded several individuals with the surname Felix or its variations, such as Felice and Feliz. This suggests that the name had spread beyond Italy and into other parts of Europe by that time.

In the 13th century, a notable figure bearing the surname Felix was Johannes Felix, a German philosopher and theologian born around 1200 in Saxony. He is known for his influential work, "Lectura super Metaphysicam Aristotelis," which contributed significantly to the development of medieval scholastic philosophy.

Another historical figure with the surname Felix was Felice Feliciano (1433-1479), an Italian humanist, calligrapher, and historian from Verona. He is renowned for his contributions to the study of ancient Roman inscriptions and his beautifully crafted manuscripts.

In the 16th century, the surname Felix was associated with the Italian mathematician and engineer Prospero Felice (1510-1592), who was born in Naples. He is best known for his work on fortifications and military engineering, as well as his contributions to the field of mathematics.

Moving forward in time, Fortunato Felice (1723-1789) was an Italian composer and music theorist from Naples. He is recognized for his compositions, particularly his operas, and his influential treatise on music theory, "Metodo Facile per ben Imparare la Musica Pratica."

Throughout history, the surname Felix has been borne by numerous other notable individuals across various fields, including literature, art, and science, further solidifying its presence and significance across different cultures and regions.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Felix

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

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

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

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