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

Fen, 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 Fen surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Fen in America

Fen is the 136449th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Fen surname appeared 123 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 people would have the surname Fen.

The history of the last name Fen

The surname "Fen" is believed to have originated in England and is thought to be a locational surname, meaning that it derived from the name of a particular place or geographical feature. Specifically, the name is likely to have come from the Old English word "fenn," which referred to a marsh, bog, or low-lying wetland area.

The earliest recorded instances of the name "Fen" can be found in various medieval records, including the Domesday Book of 1086, which was a comprehensive survey of landholdings and populations in England commissioned by William the Conqueror. In this document, the name appears in various spellings, such as "Fenne" and "Fenne."

Over time, the name became associated with individuals who lived near or in areas known as fens or marshlands. Some of the earliest known bearers of the surname include John de Fenne, who was mentioned in the Subsidy Rolls of Worcestershire in 1275, and William de la Fenne, who was recorded in the Hundred Rolls of Cambridgeshire in 1279.

The surname "Fen" can also be traced back to various place names in England that incorporate the word "fen," such as Fengate in Peterborough and Fenchurch in London. These place names likely originated from the Old English words "fen" and "cirice," meaning "marsh church."

One notable historical figure with the surname "Fen" was Robert Fen (1498-1557), an English Protestant reformer and writer who played a significant role in the English Reformation. Another individual of note was Sir John Fen (1598-1661), an English judge and politician who served as Lord Chief Justice of England from 1659 to 1660.

Other individuals with the surname "Fen" include William Fen (1562-1639), an English clergyman and author; Thomas Fen (1620-1692), an English mathematician and astronomer; and John Fen (1718-1794), a British naval officer who served during the American Revolutionary War.

It is worth noting that while the surname "Fen" is relatively uncommon today, it has a rich historical lineage and can be traced back to the early medieval period in England, where it originated as a locational surname derived from the Old English word for marshland.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Fen

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

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 Fen 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.

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

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

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