2000
#14,590
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,871
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.69
Rare Last name
Fettig
A German occupational surname derived from the Middle High German word "vetich," meaning a rag or patch of cloth.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,463 Americans carry the last name Fettig. That puts it at #13,530 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.72 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 139,161 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Fettig 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
2.5K
1 in 139,161
Census rank
#13,530
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.1K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,148 bearers of the surname Fettig in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.72 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 13530th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Fettig, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.8%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.5%) and Hispanic (2.1%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Fettig
The surname Fettig is believed to have originated in Germany, with its earliest records dating back to the 16th century. It is derived from the German word "fett," which means "fat" or "plump." This suggests that the name may have been initially used as a descriptive nickname for someone who was overweight or well-nourished.
In the early days, surnames were often derived from physical characteristics, occupations, or places of origin. The Fettig name likely emerged as a way to identify a particular family or individual with a distinctive physical trait, in this case, being stout or well-built.
One of the earliest known references to the Fettig surname can be found in the records of the town of Augsburg, located in the Bavaria region of Germany. In a document dated 1576, a certain Hans Fettig is mentioned as a resident of the town.
Another notable early record is that of Johann Fettig, a scholar and writer who lived in the late 16th and early 17th centuries. He was born in Wittenberg, Germany, in 1572 and is known for his works on theology and philosophy.
As the name spread across Germany, it also took on various spellings, such as Fettig, Fettich, and Fettich. Some of these variations may have been influenced by local dialects or the preferences of individual families.
In the 18th century, the Fettig name appeared in the records of the town of Koblenz, located along the Rhine River. A family by the name of Fettig is mentioned as owning a successful vineyard in the region.
One of the more notable figures with the Fettig surname was Friedrich Fettig, a German writer and poet who lived from 1799 to 1872. He was born in the town of Bamberg and is best known for his collection of poems titled "Gedichte" (Poems), published in 1845.
Another individual of note was Wilhelm Fettig, a German artist who lived from 1829 to 1892. He was born in the city of Leipzig and was renowned for his landscape paintings, which often depicted scenes from the surrounding countryside.
In the 19th century, the Fettig name also made its way to other parts of Europe, including Austria and Switzerland. One example is Hans Fettig, a Swiss architect who was born in 1835 and is known for his work on several notable buildings in the city of Zurich.
While the Fettig surname has its roots in Germany, it has since spread across the globe, with individuals bearing this name found in various countries and communities. However, the name's origins can be traced back to the descriptive nicknames used in the German-speaking regions of Europe centuries ago.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Fettig
Among Census respondents with the surname Fettig, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.8%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.5%) and Hispanic (2.1%).
The bar chart below shows how Fettig 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 Fettig surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White92.8% · 1,994
- Two or more races2.5% · 54
- Hispanic or Latino2.1% · 45
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.4% · 30
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 15
- Black or African American0.5% · 10
Timeline
Historical Census data for Fettig
Fettig 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
#14,799
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,005
+134 bearers (+7.2%)
Per 100,000 0.68
Rank movement Down 209 places
2020
#13,530
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,148
+143 bearers (+7.1%)
Per 100,000 0.72
Rank movement Up 1,269 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #14,590 | 1,871 | 0.69 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #14,799 | 2,005 | 0.68 | +134 bearers (+7.2%) | Down 209 places |
| 2020 | #13,530 | 2,148 | 0.72 | +143 bearers (+7.1%) | Up 1,269 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 Fettig 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 | #14,799 | #13,530 | 8.6% |
| Count | 2,005 | 2,148 | 7.1% |
| Per 100K | 0.68 | 0.72 | 5.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Fettig bearers went from 2,005 to 2,148 (+7.1% change). The surname moved up 1,269 positions in the national ranking, going from #14,799 to #13,530.
FAQ
Fettig surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Fettig?
Name Census estimates that about 2,463 living Americans carry the surname Fettig. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 139,161 residents.
How common is Fettig?
Fettig ranks #13,530 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.72 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 2,148 people with the surname Fettig. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,463), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.72 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.72 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 Fettig.
Has Fettig become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Fettig went from 2,005 recorded bearers to 2,148. That is an increase of 143 (+7.1%). In the national ranking it rose from #14,799 to #13,530.
What does the Census say about the background of Fettig?
Among Census respondents with the surname Fettig, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.8%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.5%) and Hispanic (2.1%). 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 Fettig in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.8% (1,994 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Fettig appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (92.8%), Two or More Races (2.5%), Hispanic (2.1%). 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 Fettig (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 Fettig mean?
A German occupational surname derived from the Middle High German word "vetich," meaning a rag or patch of cloth. 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 Fettig (0.72 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 common is the surname Fettig?
Find out how common the surname Fettig is on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.