2010
#144,141
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 115
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Fernung
Derived from the German word for "distance" or "remoteness."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 123 Americans carry the last name Fernung. That puts it at #151,639 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,786,621 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Fernung 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
123
1 in 2,786,621
Census rank
#151,639
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
107
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 107 bearers of the surname Fernung in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 151639th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Fernung, the largest self-reported group is White at 98.1%. The next largest groups are American Indian/Alaska Native (0.9%) and Two or More Races (0.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Fernung
The surname Fernung is believed to have originated in Germany, with the earliest recorded instances dating back to the 16th century. It is thought to be derived from the German word "fern," meaning "distant" or "far away," combined with the suffix "-ung," which denotes a location or place.
One of the earliest known references to the name Fernung can be found in the Kirchenbücher (church records) of the town of Kirchheim unter Teck in the German state of Baden-Württemberg. In these records, dating back to the late 1500s, several individuals with the surname Fernung are mentioned as residents of the town.
The name Fernung may have been originally associated with individuals who lived in remote or distant areas, or those who had relocated from afar. It's also possible that the name was initially a descriptive one, referring to a person's appearance or demeanor.
In the 17th century, the name Fernung appears in various municipal records across southern Germany, particularly in the regions of Baden-Württemberg and Bavaria. One notable individual from this period was Hans Fernung (1621-1678), a farmer and landowner from the village of Unterlenningen in the Tübingen area.
As the centuries progressed, the Fernung name spread to other parts of Germany and neighboring regions. In the late 18th century, Johann Fernung (1753-1821) was a prominent merchant and trader based in the city of Frankfurt am Main.
Another significant figure with the surname Fernung was Ida Fernung (1845-1919), a renowned opera singer and performer from Berlin. She gained widespread acclaim for her performances in major opera houses across Europe during the late 19th century.
Other notable individuals with the surname Fernung include Wilhelm Fernung (1879-1955), a German engineer and inventor who held several patents for innovations in the field of industrial machinery, and Frieda Fernung (1902-1988), a celebrated artist and sculptor whose works were exhibited in galleries throughout Germany and Austria.
While the surname Fernung is most commonly associated with Germany, it has also been found in smaller numbers in neighboring countries like Switzerland, Austria, and parts of Eastern Europe, likely due to migration and intermarriage over the centuries.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Fernung
Among Census respondents with the surname Fernung, the largest self-reported group is White at 98.1%. The next largest groups are American Indian/Alaska Native (0.9%) and Two or More Races (0.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Fernung 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 Fernung surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White98.1% · 105
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.9% · 1
- Two or more races0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Fernung
Fernung appears in 2 published Census surname files: 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2020
#151,639
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 107
-8 bearers (-7.0%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 7,498 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #144,141 | 115 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #151,639 | 107 | 0.04 | -8 bearers (-7.0%) | Down 7,498 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 Fernung 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 | #144,141 | #151,639 | -5.2% |
| Count | 115 | 107 | -7.0% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -10.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Fernung bearers went from 115 to 107 (-7.0% change). The surname moved down 7,498 positions in the national ranking, going from #144,141 to #151,639.
FAQ
Fernung surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Fernung?
Name Census estimates that about 123 living Americans carry the surname Fernung. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,786,621 residents.
How common is Fernung?
Fernung ranks #151,639 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 107 people with the surname Fernung. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (123), 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 Fernung.
Has Fernung become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Fernung went from 115 recorded bearers to 107. That is a decrease of 8 (-7.0%). In the national ranking it fell from #144,141 to #151,639.
What does the Census say about the background of Fernung?
Among Census respondents with the surname Fernung, the largest self-reported group is White at 98.1%. The next largest groups are American Indian/Alaska Native (0.9%) and Two or More Races (0.9%). 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 Fernung in the 2020 Census, accounting for 98.1% (105 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Fernung appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (98.1%), American Indian/Alaska Native (0.9%), Two or More Races (0.9%). 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 Fernung (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 Fernung mean?
Derived from the German word for "distance" or "remoteness." 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 Fernung (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 are called Fernung?
See how many people have the surname Fernung on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.