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

Fesler, 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 Fesler surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Fesler in America

Fesler is the 24214th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Fesler surname appeared 1,037 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 Fesler.

We can also compare 2010 data for Fesler to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name Fesler

The surname FESLER is of German origin and dates back to the 16th century. It is believed to have originated from the German word "Fessler," which means "maker of fetters" or "shackle maker," referring to a person who crafted chains, shackles, or other restraints used for prisoners or livestock.

The earliest recorded instances of the FESLER surname can be traced back to the regions of Bavaria and Swabia in southern Germany. Some variations of the spelling include Fessler, Fesseler, and Fesselar. These variations likely arose due to regional dialects and the variations in the way the name was transcribed over time.

One of the earliest known references to the FESLER surname can be found in the Wuerttemberg Urbarlisten (land records) from the late 16th century, where several individuals with the surname Fessler are listed as landowners or tenants in various villages.

In the 17th century, the FESLER surname began to spread beyond southern Germany as individuals bearing the name migrated to other parts of Europe and, eventually, to the Americas. One notable early bearer of the FESLER name was Johann Georg Fessler (1737-1820), a German author, historian, and former Catholic priest who wrote extensively on religious and philosophical topics.

Another early notable figure with the FESLER surname was Johann Konrad Fessler (1765-1839), a German philosopher and educator who served as the director of the Gymnasium (secondary school) in Kempten, Bavaria.

In the 19th century, the FESLER surname gained a foothold in the United States as German immigrants began to arrive in larger numbers. One of the earliest recorded instances of the FESLER surname in America is that of Jacob Fesler (1813-1892), a farmer and landowner in Ohio who was born in Wuerttemberg, Germany.

Another notable American with the FESLER surname was William Fesler (1867-1945), a lawyer and judge from Indiana who served as a member of the United States House of Representatives from 1919 to 1923.

In more recent times, the FESLER surname has been carried by individuals such as Marcia Fesler (1927-2016), an American actress and dancer who appeared in several Broadway productions and television shows, and Richard Fessler, a contemporary German author and playwright known for his works exploring social and political themes.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Fesler

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

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 Fesler 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.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Fesler has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

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

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

Reference this page

We spend a lot of resources downloading, cleaning, merging, and formatting the data that is shown on the site.

If you found the data or information on this page useful in your research, please use the tool below to properly cite or reference Name Census as the source. We appreciate your support!