2000
#147,095
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 103
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Fendell
A variant spelling of the English surname Fendall, possibly derived from a place name.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 125 Americans carry the last name Fendell. That puts it at #150,205 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,742,035 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Fendell 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
125
1 in 2,742,035
Census rank
#150,205
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
109
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 109 bearers of the surname Fendell in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 150205th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Fendell, the largest self-reported group is White at 78.9%. The next largest groups are Black (15.6%) and Two or More Races (3.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Fendell
The surname Fendell has its origins in England and can be traced back to the 13th century. It is believed to have derived from an Old English word "fenedel," which referred to a type of fennel plant. The earliest recorded spelling of the name was Fendell, found in the Pipe Rolls of Yorkshire in 1275.
In the 14th century, records show the name Fendell appearing in various parts of southern England, including Dorset and Wiltshire. It is possible that the name was originally associated with an area known for the cultivation of fennel or a place name derived from the plant.
One of the earliest known bearers of the Fendell surname was John Fendell, who was recorded in the Subsidy Rolls of Sussex in 1327. Another notable figure was William Fendell, a landowner in Dorset, whose name appeared in the Court Rolls of 1412.
During the 16th and 17th centuries, the Fendell family established roots in Somerset and Devon. In 1583, the marriage of Robert Fendell and Joan Bawden was recorded in the parish records of St. Austell, Cornwall.
The Fendell surname also has a connection to the United States. One of the earliest American bearers of the name was Thomas Fendell, who arrived in Virginia in 1635. He later became a prominent landowner in York County.
Other notable individuals with the Fendell surname include:
1. Sir Edward Fendell (1628-1701), an English politician and Member of Parliament for Taunton.
2. John Fendell (1772-1849), an English artist known for his landscape paintings.
3. Mary Fendell (1879-1967), an American educator and activist for women's rights.
4. Robert Fendell (1908-1987), a British author and playwright.
5. Catherine Fendell (born 1952), an American architect and urban planner.
While the Fendell surname may not be among the most common today, it has a rich history that spans several centuries and multiple regions of England, as well as connections to the early settlement of the United States.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Fendell
Among Census respondents with the surname Fendell, the largest self-reported group is White at 78.9%. The next largest groups are Black (15.6%) and Two or More Races (3.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Fendell 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 Fendell surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White78.9% · 86
- Black or African American15.6% · 17
- Two or more races3.7% · 4
- Hispanic or Latino1.8% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Fendell
Fendell 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
#159,712
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 101
-2 bearers (-1.9%)
Per 100,000 0.03
Rank movement Down 12,617 places
2020
#150,205
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 109
+8 bearers (+7.9%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 9,507 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #147,095 | 103 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #159,712 | 101 | 0.03 | -2 bearers (-1.9%) | Down 12,617 places |
| 2020 | #150,205 | 109 | 0.04 | +8 bearers (+7.9%) | Up 9,507 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 Fendell 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 | #159,712 | #150,205 | 6.0% |
| Count | 101 | 109 | 7.9% |
| Per 100K | 0.03 | 0.04 | 21.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Fendell bearers went from 101 to 109 (+7.9% change). The surname moved up 9,507 positions in the national ranking, going from #159,712 to #150,205.
FAQ
Fendell surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Fendell?
Name Census estimates that about 125 living Americans carry the surname Fendell. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,742,035 residents.
How common is Fendell?
Fendell ranks #150,205 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 109 people with the surname Fendell. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (125), 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 Fendell.
Has Fendell become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Fendell went from 101 recorded bearers to 109. That is an increase of 8 (+7.9%). In the national ranking it rose from #159,712 to #150,205.
What does the Census say about the background of Fendell?
Among Census respondents with the surname Fendell, the largest self-reported group is White at 78.9%. The next largest groups are Black (15.6%) and Two or More Races (3.7%). 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 Fendell in the 2020 Census, accounting for 78.9% (86 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Fendell appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (78.9%), Black (15.6%), Two or More Races (3.7%). 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 Fendell (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 Fendell mean?
A variant spelling of the English surname Fendall, possibly derived from a place name. 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 Fendell (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 Americans have the surname Fendell?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.