2000
#79,958
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 221
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.08
Very Rare Last name
Fellbaum
A German occupational surname referring to a furrier or worker with animal furs.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 227 Americans carry the last name Fellbaum. That puts it at #98,131 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.07 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 1,509,931 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Fellbaum 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
227
1 in 1,509,931
Census rank
#98,131
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
198
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 198 bearers of the surname Fellbaum in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.07 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 98131st position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Fellbaum, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.9%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.0%) and Hispanic (3.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Fellbaum
The surname Fellbaum has its origins in Germany, specifically in the southern regions of Bavaria and Baden-Württemberg. It can be traced back to the Middle Ages, around the 13th-14th centuries. The name is believed to be derived from the Old German words "feld" and "baum," which translate to "field" and "tree," respectively. This suggests that the name may have initially referred to someone who lived near a tree in a field or a forested area.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the Fellbaum name can be found in the Codex Diplomaticus, a collection of historical documents from the 12th century. The name is mentioned in a land transaction record dated 1267, indicating that a person named Fellbaum was involved in the exchange of property.
In the 16th century, the name appears in various municipal records and church registers in towns such as Augsburg and Freiburg. During this period, the spelling of the name varied slightly, with forms like "Felbaum" and "Feldbaum" also being used.
A notable figure bearing the Fellbaum name was Johann Fellbaum (1568-1634), a renowned goldsmith and engraver from Augsburg. His intricate works were highly sought after by nobility and affluent patrons across Europe.
Another individual of note was Margaretha Fellbaum (1620-1692), a midwife from the village of Laufen, who gained recognition for her contributions to maternal care and delivery practices in her community.
In the 19th century, the Fellbaum surname gained prominence in the field of academia. Friedrich Fellbaum (1799-1875) was a respected linguist and professor at the University of Heidelberg, known for his research on Germanic languages.
Additionally, the Fellbaum name has been associated with several place names in Germany, such as Fellbaumgasse (Fellbaum Alley) in Freiburg and Fellbaum Farm in the town of Aalen.
It is worth noting that throughout history, the Fellbaum surname has been carried by individuals from diverse backgrounds, including artisans, scholars, and professionals, contributing to the rich tapestry of German heritage.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Fellbaum
Among Census respondents with the surname Fellbaum, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.9%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.0%) and Hispanic (3.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Fellbaum 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 Fellbaum surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White89.9% · 178
- Two or more races4.0% · 8
- Hispanic or Latino3.5% · 7
- Asian and Pacific Islander2.0% · 4
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.5% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Fellbaum
Fellbaum 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
#85,659
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 218
-3 bearers (-1.4%)
Per 100,000 0.07
Rank movement Down 5,701 places
2020
#98,131
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 198
-20 bearers (-9.2%)
Per 100,000 0.07
Rank movement Down 12,472 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #79,958 | 221 | 0.08 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #85,659 | 218 | 0.07 | -3 bearers (-1.4%) | Down 5,701 places |
| 2020 | #98,131 | 198 | 0.07 | -20 bearers (-9.2%) | Down 12,472 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 Fellbaum 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 | #85,659 | #98,131 | -14.6% |
| Count | 218 | 198 | -9.2% |
| Per 100K | 0.07 | 0.07 | -5.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Fellbaum bearers went from 218 to 198 (-9.2% change). The surname moved down 12,472 positions in the national ranking, going from #85,659 to #98,131.
FAQ
Fellbaum surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Fellbaum?
Name Census estimates that about 227 living Americans carry the surname Fellbaum. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 1,509,931 residents.
How common is Fellbaum?
Fellbaum ranks #98,131 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.07 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 198 people with the surname Fellbaum. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (227), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.07 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.07 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Fellbaum.
Has Fellbaum become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Fellbaum went from 218 recorded bearers to 198. That is a decrease of 20 (-9.2%). In the national ranking it fell from #85,659 to #98,131.
What does the Census say about the background of Fellbaum?
Among Census respondents with the surname Fellbaum, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.9%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.0%) and Hispanic (3.5%). 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?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Fellbaum in the 2020 Census, accounting for 89.9% (178 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Fellbaum appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (89.9%), Two or More Races (4.0%), Hispanic (3.5%). 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 Fellbaum (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 Fellbaum mean?
A German occupational surname referring to a furrier or worker with animal furs. 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 Fellbaum (0.07 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 Fellbaum?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.