2000
#117,538
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 137
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.05
Very Rare Last name
Femling
A Scottish surname derived from a dialect word meaning a young woman or girl.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 139 Americans carry the last name Femling. That puts it at #141,309 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,465,859 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Femling 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
139
1 in 2,465,859
Census rank
#141,309
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
121
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 121 bearers of the surname Femling in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 141309th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Femling, the largest self-reported group is White at 86.8%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (6.6%) and Black (5.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Femling
The surname FEMLING has its origins in the Nordic countries, particularly in Sweden and Norway, where it first emerged in the late medieval period. The name is believed to be derived from the Old Norse word "femming," which referred to a unit of measurement or a small quantity of something.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name FEMLING can be found in Swedish parish records from the 16th century. It is likely that the name was initially used to identify individuals who worked with small quantities or measurements, such as traders, merchants, or artisans.
In the 17th century, the FEMLING surname appears in several historical documents from the region, including land records and census records from various Swedish and Norwegian towns and villages. One notable example is the 1678 census from the town of Trondheim, Norway, which lists several families with the FEMLING surname.
During the 18th century, the FEMLING name gained prominence in Scandinavia, and several individuals bearing this surname made significant contributions to various fields. One such individual was Hans FEMLING (1720-1802), a renowned Swedish botanist and naturalist who published several influential works on the flora of Sweden.
Another notable bearer of the FEMLING surname was Ingrid FEMLING (1842-1918), a Norwegian educator and women's rights activist. She played a crucial role in establishing educational opportunities for women in Norway and was a prominent figure in the early feminist movement.
In the 19th century, the FEMLING surname began to spread beyond Scandinavia as individuals emigrated to other parts of the world, particularly North America. One example is Carl FEMLING (1856-1932), a Swedish-American engineer who was instrumental in the construction of several major bridges and infrastructure projects in the United States.
As the centuries passed, the FEMLING surname continued to be carried by individuals from diverse backgrounds and professions. Notable bearers of this name include Astrid FEMLING (1901-1985), a Swedish artist and sculptor whose works are displayed in several museums and galleries across Europe, and Bjorn FEMLING (1921-2008), a Norwegian diplomat and ambassador who served in various diplomatic missions around the world.
While the FEMLING surname has its roots in the Nordic countries, it has since become a part of the global tapestry, with individuals bearing this name making significant contributions in various fields across multiple continents.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Femling
Among Census respondents with the surname Femling, the largest self-reported group is White at 86.8%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (6.6%) and Black (5.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Femling 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 Femling surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White86.8% · 105
- Two or more races6.6% · 8
- Black or African American5.0% · 6
- Hispanic or Latino0.8% · 1
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Femling
Femling 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
#113,791
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 154
+17 bearers (+12.4%)
Per 100,000 0.05
Rank movement Up 3,747 places
2020
#141,309
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 121
-33 bearers (-21.4%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 27,518 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #117,538 | 137 | 0.05 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #113,791 | 154 | 0.05 | +17 bearers (+12.4%) | Up 3,747 places |
| 2020 | #141,309 | 121 | 0.04 | -33 bearers (-21.4%) | Down 27,518 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 Femling 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 | #113,791 | #141,309 | -24.2% |
| Count | 154 | 121 | -21.4% |
| Per 100K | 0.05 | 0.04 | -19.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Femling bearers went from 154 to 121 (-21.4% change). The surname moved down 27,518 positions in the national ranking, going from #113,791 to #141,309.
FAQ
Femling surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Femling?
Name Census estimates that about 139 living Americans carry the surname Femling. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,465,859 residents.
How common is Femling?
Femling ranks #141,309 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.04 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 121 people with the surname Femling. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (139), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.04 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 Femling.
Has Femling become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Femling went from 154 recorded bearers to 121. That is a decrease of 33 (-21.4%). In the national ranking it fell from #113,791 to #141,309.
What does the Census say about the background of Femling?
Among Census respondents with the surname Femling, the largest self-reported group is White at 86.8%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (6.6%) and Black (5.0%). 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 Femling in the 2020 Census, accounting for 86.8% (105 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Femling appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (86.8%), Two or More Races (6.6%), Black (5.0%). 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 Femling (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 Femling mean?
A Scottish surname derived from a dialect word meaning a young woman or girl. 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 Femling (0.04 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 Femling?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.