2000
#1,011
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 31,631
First available Census row
Per 100,000 11.73
Uncommon Last name
Felix
Derived from the Latin word meaning "happy" or "lucky," originally bestowed as a nickname for a fortunate person.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 46,384 Americans carry the last name Felix. That puts it at #837 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 13.53 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 7,389 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Felix 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.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Felix with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
46K
1 in 7,389
Census rank
#837
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
13.5
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
40K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 40,449 bearers of the surname Felix in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 13.53 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 837th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Felix, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 65.1%. The next largest groups are White (16.6%) and Black (12.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of 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.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Felix
Among Census respondents with the surname Felix, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 65.1%. The next largest groups are White (16.6%) and Black (12.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Felix 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 Felix surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Hispanic or Latino65.1% · 26,342
- White16.6% · 6,724
- Black or African American12.5% · 5,064
- Asian and Pacific Islander3.2% · 1,312
- Two or more races1.7% · 687
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.8% · 320
Timeline
Historical Census data for Felix
Felix 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
#863
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 40,165
+8,534 bearers (+27.0%)
Per 100,000 13.62
Rank movement Up 148 places
2020
#837
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 40,449
+284 bearers (+0.7%)
Per 100,000 13.53
Rank movement Up 26 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #1,011 | 31,631 | 11.73 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #863 | 40,165 | 13.62 | +8,534 bearers (+27.0%) | Up 148 places |
| 2020 | #837 | 40,449 | 13.53 | +284 bearers (+0.7%) | Up 26 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 Felix 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 | #863 | #837 | 3.0% |
| Count | 40,165 | 40,449 | 0.7% |
| Per 100K | 13.62 | 13.53 | -0.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Felix bearers went from 40,165 to 40,449 (+0.7% change). The surname moved up 26 positions in the national ranking, going from #863 to #837.
FAQ
Felix surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Felix?
Name Census estimates that about 46,384 living Americans carry the surname Felix. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 7,389 residents.
How common is Felix?
Felix ranks #837 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 13.53 per 100,000 residents, which is about 14 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 40,449 people with the surname Felix. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (46,384), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 13.53 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 13.53 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 14 of them to have the surname Felix.
Has Felix become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Felix went from 40,165 recorded bearers to 40,449. That is an increase of 284 (+0.7%). In the national ranking it rose from #863 to #837.
What does the Census say about the background of Felix?
Among Census respondents with the surname Felix, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 65.1%. The next largest groups are White (16.6%) and Black (12.5%). 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?
Hispanic is the largest self-reported group for the surname Felix in the 2020 Census, accounting for 65.1% (26,342 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Felix appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Hispanic (65.1%), White (16.6%), Black (12.5%). 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 Felix (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 Felix mean?
Derived from the Latin word meaning "happy" or "lucky," originally bestowed as a nickname for a fortunate person. 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 Felix (13.53 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 people share the surname Felix?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.