2000
#3,052
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 10,884
First available Census row
Per 100,000 4.03
Uncommon Last name
Fennell
Derived from the Irish Gaelic "Ó Fionnghail," meaning "descendant of Fionnghal," a personal name composed of "fionn" (fair) and "gal" (valor).
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 12,255 Americans carry the last name Fennell. That puts it at #3,303 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 3.58 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 27,969 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Fennell 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 Fennell with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
12K
1 in 27,969
Census rank
#3,303
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
3.6
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
11K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 10,687 bearers of the surname Fennell in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 3.58 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 3303rd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Fennell, the largest self-reported group is White at 63.6%. The next largest groups are Black (27.4%) and Two or More Races (4.3%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Fennell
The surname Fennell has its origins in England and Ireland, with the earliest records dating back to the 12th century. It is an Anglo-Norman surname derived from the Old French word "fenel," which means "fennel" or "fennel plant." This plant was a common ingredient in medieval cuisine and was also used for medicinal purposes.
In England, the surname Fennell is believed to have originated as a nickname for someone who grew, sold, or was associated with fennel. One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Pipe Rolls of Gloucestershire in 1190, where a Robert Fenel is mentioned.
In Ireland, the surname Fennell is an anglicized form of the Gaelic name Ó Fionnghail, which means "descendant of Fionnghal." Fionnghal is derived from the Gaelic words "fionn," meaning "fair" or "white," and "ghal," meaning "valor" or "bravery." The earliest known bearer of this name in Ireland was Fionnghal Mac Carthaigh, a chieftain of the Baronies of Muskerry in County Cork in the 12th century.
One of the most notable early references to the surname Fennell can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, where a landowner named William Fenel is recorded as holding lands in Buckinghamshire, England.
Throughout history, there have been several notable individuals with the surname Fennell. In the 16th century, Rodrigo Fernandez de Fennell was a Spanish explorer who accompanied Francisco Pizarro on his expeditions to Peru. In the 17th century, Richard Fennell was an English author and poet who wrote the work "Descriptions; or A Compleat Body of Philosophy."
In the 18th century, John Fennell was an Irish politician and member of the Irish House of Commons, representing the constituency of Charleville from 1776 to 1790. In the 19th century, James Fennell was an English architect known for designing several churches and public buildings in the Gothic Revival style.
In the 20th century, one of the most famous bearers of the surname was James Fennell (1912-1977), an American violinist and conductor who served as the music director of the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra and the Cleveland Orchestra.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Fennell
Among Census respondents with the surname Fennell, the largest self-reported group is White at 63.6%. The next largest groups are Black (27.4%) and Two or More Races (4.3%).
The bar chart below shows how Fennell 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 Fennell surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White63.6% · 6,793
- Black or African American27.4% · 2,931
- Two or more races4.3% · 456
- Hispanic or Latino3.8% · 401
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.5% · 56
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.5% · 50
Timeline
Historical Census data for Fennell
Fennell 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
#3,163
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 11,410
+526 bearers (+4.8%)
Per 100,000 3.87
Rank movement Down 111 places
2020
#3,303
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 10,687
-723 bearers (-6.3%)
Per 100,000 3.58
Rank movement Down 140 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #3,052 | 10,884 | 4.03 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #3,163 | 11,410 | 3.87 | +526 bearers (+4.8%) | Down 111 places |
| 2020 | #3,303 | 10,687 | 3.58 | -723 bearers (-6.3%) | Down 140 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 Fennell 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 | #3,163 | #3,303 | -4.4% |
| Count | 11,410 | 10,687 | -6.3% |
| Per 100K | 3.87 | 3.58 | -7.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Fennell bearers went from 11,410 to 10,687 (-6.3% change). The surname moved down 140 positions in the national ranking, going from #3,163 to #3,303.
FAQ
Fennell surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Fennell?
Name Census estimates that about 12,255 living Americans carry the surname Fennell. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 27,969 residents.
How common is Fennell?
Fennell ranks #3,303 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 3.58 per 100,000 residents, which is about 4 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 10,687 people with the surname Fennell. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (12,255), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 3.58 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 3.58 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 4 of them to have the surname Fennell.
Has Fennell become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Fennell went from 11,410 recorded bearers to 10,687. That is a decrease of 723 (-6.3%). In the national ranking it fell from #3,163 to #3,303.
What does the Census say about the background of Fennell?
Among Census respondents with the surname Fennell, the largest self-reported group is White at 63.6%. The next largest groups are Black (27.4%) and Two or More Races (4.3%). 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 Fennell in the 2020 Census, accounting for 63.6% (6,793 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Fennell appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (63.6%), Black (27.4%), Two or More Races (4.3%). 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 Fennell (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 Fennell mean?
Derived from the Irish Gaelic "Ó Fionnghail," meaning "descendant of Fionnghal," a personal name composed of "fionn" (fair) and "gal" (valor). 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 Fennell (3.58 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 Fennell?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.