2000
#11,971
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,394
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.89
Rare Last name
Fetterman
An occupational surname of German origin, referring to a fat or obese man, or a large, strong man.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,604 Americans carry the last name Fetterman. That puts it at #12,934 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.76 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 131,626 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Fetterman 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
2.6K
1 in 131,626
Census rank
#12,934
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.8
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.3K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,271 bearers of the surname Fetterman in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.76 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 12934th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Fetterman, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.3%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.7%) and Hispanic (1.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Fetterman
The surname Fetterman originates from Germany, with its earliest known roots dating back to the 16th century. The name is derived from the German word "Vettermann," which translates to "cousin" or "kinsman." It is believed that the name was initially used as a nickname or a descriptive term for someone who was closely related to a prominent family or clan.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the Fetterman surname can be found in a 1568 document from the town of Worms, located in the Rhineland-Palatinate region of Germany. This document mentions a certain Hans Fetterman, who was a merchant and landowner in the area.
The Fetterman name also appears in several historical records from the 17th and 18th centuries across various German states, including Bavaria, Saxony, and Prussia. During this period, the spelling of the name varied slightly, with variations such as Fettermann, Fettermahn, and Vettermann being documented.
A notable figure bearing the Fetterman surname was Johann Fetterman (1693-1772), a German theologian and philosopher who was born in Nuremberg. He studied at the University of Altdorf and later became a professor of theology and philosophy at the University of Giessen.
Another historical reference to the Fetterman name can be found in the Moravian Church records from the 18th century. Several Fetterman families were members of the Moravian Church, a Protestant denomination that originated in the German-speaking regions of Europe.
In the 19th century, the Fetterman surname began to spread beyond the borders of Germany as families emigrated to other parts of Europe and the Americas. One prominent individual was William John Fetterman (1833-1866), a Union Army officer and brevet lieutenant colonel who was killed in the Fetterman Fight, a violent skirmish between Native Americans and U.S. military forces in what is now Wyoming.
Another notable figure was Adam Fetterman (1824-1896), a German-American businessman and politician who served as the Mayor of Philadelphia from 1874 to 1876. He was also involved in the development of the city's transportation infrastructure, including the construction of several bridges and railroads.
A more recent historical figure was George Fetterman (1894-1970), an American football player and coach who played for the University of Pennsylvania and later coached at several universities, including Villanova and the U.S. Naval Academy.
Throughout history, the Fetterman surname has been borne by individuals from various walks of life, including scholars, military personnel, politicians, and athletes, reflecting the diverse backgrounds and contributions of those who carry this name.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Fetterman
Among Census respondents with the surname Fetterman, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.3%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.7%) and Hispanic (1.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Fetterman 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 Fetterman surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White94.3% · 2,142
- Two or more races2.7% · 62
- Hispanic or Latino1.8% · 42
- Black or African American0.5% · 12
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.4% · 10
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.1% · 3
Timeline
Historical Census data for Fetterman
Fetterman 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
#11,631
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,695
+301 bearers (+12.6%)
Per 100,000 0.91
Rank movement Up 340 places
2020
#12,934
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,271
-424 bearers (-15.7%)
Per 100,000 0.76
Rank movement Down 1,303 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #11,971 | 2,394 | 0.89 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #11,631 | 2,695 | 0.91 | +301 bearers (+12.6%) | Up 340 places |
| 2020 | #12,934 | 2,271 | 0.76 | -424 bearers (-15.7%) | Down 1,303 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 Fetterman 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 | #11,631 | #12,934 | -11.2% |
| Count | 2,695 | 2,271 | -15.7% |
| Per 100K | 0.91 | 0.76 | -16.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Fetterman bearers went from 2,695 to 2,271 (-15.7% change). The surname moved down 1,303 positions in the national ranking, going from #11,631 to #12,934.
FAQ
Fetterman surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Fetterman?
Name Census estimates that about 2,604 living Americans carry the surname Fetterman. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 131,626 residents.
How common is Fetterman?
Fetterman ranks #12,934 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.76 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 2,271 people with the surname Fetterman. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,604), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.76 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.76 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Fetterman.
Has Fetterman become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Fetterman went from 2,695 recorded bearers to 2,271. That is a decrease of 424 (-15.7%). In the national ranking it fell from #11,631 to #12,934.
What does the Census say about the background of Fetterman?
Among Census respondents with the surname Fetterman, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.3%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.7%) and Hispanic (1.8%). 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 Fetterman in the 2020 Census, accounting for 94.3% (2,142 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Fetterman appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (94.3%), Two or More Races (2.7%), Hispanic (1.8%). 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 Fetterman (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 Fetterman mean?
An occupational surname of German origin, referring to a fat or obese man, or a large, strong man. 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 Fetterman (0.76 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 Fetterman?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.