2000
#4,636
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 6,992
First available Census row
Per 100,000 2.59
Rare Last name
Fenner
An English occupational surname for a hunter or a seller of venison.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 7,739 Americans carry the last name Fenner. That puts it at #5,037 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 2.26 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 44,289 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Fenner 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 Fenner with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
7.7K
1 in 44,289
Census rank
#5,037
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
2.3
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
6.7K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 6,749 bearers of the surname Fenner in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 2.26 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 5037th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Fenner, the largest self-reported group is White at 73.6%. The next largest groups are Black (17.8%) and Two or More Races (4.1%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Fenner
The surname Fenner has its origins in England, dating back to the medieval period. It is believed to have been derived from the Old English word "fenn," meaning a marsh or fen. This suggests that the name may have initially been used as a descriptive nickname for someone who lived near a marshy area or worked in such an environment.
The earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in various historical documents from the 13th and 14th centuries, such as the Hundred Rolls of 1273 and the Subsidy Rolls of 1327. These records mention individuals like Robert le Fenner and William Fenner, indicating the presence of the name in different parts of England during that time.
One notable example of the Fenner name's historical significance is its inclusion in the renowned Domesday Book, a comprehensive survey of lands and landowners commissioned by William the Conqueror in 1086. The Domesday Book lists a Fenner family residing in Oxfordshire, providing evidence of the name's longevity in the region.
Over the centuries, the Fenner surname has undergone various spelling variations, including Vennor, Vener, and Vennour. These variations were likely influenced by regional dialects and the inconsistencies in record-keeping practices during earlier times.
Several notable individuals have borne the Fenner surname throughout history. One prominent figure was Sir Edward Fenner (1584-1657), an English lawyer and judge who served as a Baron of the Exchequer during the reign of King Charles I. Another was Thomas Fenner (1600-1676), a colonial American who served as the Governor of the Colony of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations.
Other influential individuals with the Fenner surname include William Fenner (1600-1640), an English Puritan minister and author, and Arthur Fenner (1745-1805), an American politician and lawyer who served as the seventh Governor of Rhode Island. Additionally, Edward Fenner (1782-1853) was a prominent English naturalist and physician who made significant contributions to the field of natural history.
The Fenner surname has also been associated with various place names in England, such as Fenner's Chase in Buckinghamshire and Fenner's Green in Hampshire. These place names likely originated from individuals with the Fenner surname who held land or resided in those areas.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Fenner
Among Census respondents with the surname Fenner, the largest self-reported group is White at 73.6%. The next largest groups are Black (17.8%) and Two or More Races (4.1%).
The bar chart below shows how Fenner 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 Fenner surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White73.6% · 4,964
- Black or African American17.8% · 1,203
- Two or more races4.1% · 278
- Hispanic or Latino3.1% · 211
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.7% · 47
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 46
Timeline
Historical Census data for Fenner
Fenner 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
#4,619
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 7,678
+686 bearers (+9.8%)
Per 100,000 2.60
Rank movement Up 17 places
2020
#5,037
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 6,749
-929 bearers (-12.1%)
Per 100,000 2.26
Rank movement Down 418 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #4,636 | 6,992 | 2.59 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #4,619 | 7,678 | 2.60 | +686 bearers (+9.8%) | Up 17 places |
| 2020 | #5,037 | 6,749 | 2.26 | -929 bearers (-12.1%) | Down 418 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 Fenner 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 | #4,619 | #5,037 | -9.0% |
| Count | 7,678 | 6,749 | -12.1% |
| Per 100K | 2.60 | 2.26 | -13.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Fenner bearers went from 7,678 to 6,749 (-12.1% change). The surname moved down 418 positions in the national ranking, going from #4,619 to #5,037.
FAQ
Fenner surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Fenner?
Name Census estimates that about 7,739 living Americans carry the surname Fenner. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 44,289 residents.
How common is Fenner?
Fenner ranks #5,037 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 2.26 per 100,000 residents, which is about 2 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 6,749 people with the surname Fenner. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (7,739), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 2.26 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 2.26 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 2 of them to have the surname Fenner.
Has Fenner become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Fenner went from 7,678 recorded bearers to 6,749. That is a decrease of 929 (-12.1%). In the national ranking it fell from #4,619 to #5,037.
What does the Census say about the background of Fenner?
Among Census respondents with the surname Fenner, the largest self-reported group is White at 73.6%. The next largest groups are Black (17.8%) and Two or More Races (4.1%). 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 Fenner in the 2020 Census, accounting for 73.6% (4,964 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Fenner appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (73.6%), Black (17.8%), Two or More Races (4.1%). 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 Fenner (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 Fenner mean?
An English occupational surname for a hunter or a seller of venison. 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 Fenner (2.26 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 Fenner?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.