2000
#132,259
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 118
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Fettis
An occupational surname derived from the Old French "faitiz" meaning made or shaped.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 119 Americans carry the last name Fettis. That puts it at #153,590 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.03 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,880,289 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Fettis 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 Fettis with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
119
1 in 2,880,289
Census rank
#153,590
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
104
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 104 bearers of the surname Fettis in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.03 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 153590th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Fettis, the largest self-reported group is White at 86.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (7.7%) and Two or More Races (2.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Fettis
The surname Fettis is believed to have originated in England, with roots dating back to the late medieval period. It is thought to be a locational name derived from a now-lost place name, possibly originating from the Old English words "fet" meaning fat or fertile, and "hys" meaning a house or dwelling place. This suggests that the name may have referred to someone who lived in a fertile area or a well-provisioned house.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Fettis can be found in the Subsidy Rolls of Worcestershire from 1327, where a John Fettys is mentioned. The name appeared with various spellings, such as Fettyes and Fettyes, reflecting the inconsistencies in record-keeping during that time.
In the 15th century, the Fettis surname appeared in several historical records, including the Feet of Fines for Essex in 1438, where a William Fettys is mentioned. This record was a legal document related to land transactions, indicating that the Fettis family may have held property in Essex during that period.
Notable individuals with the surname Fettis include Sir John Fettis, a prominent landowner and military commander who served under King Edward III during the Hundred Years' War in the 14th century. Another notable figure was Robert Fettis, a merchant and alderman in the City of London, who lived from 1520 to 1592.
During the 16th century, the Fettis name was also found in Yorkshire, with records showing a William Fettis holding lands in the village of Holme-on-Spalding-Moor in 1567. This suggests that the family had spread to different parts of England by that time.
In the 17th century, a notable figure was Sir Thomas Fettis, a member of Parliament for the borough of Thetford in Norfolk. He was born in 1612 and served as an influential figure in local politics until his death in 1682.
By the 18th century, the Fettis surname had also spread to Scotland, with records showing a family residing in the Scottish Borders region. One notable individual from this period was James Fettis, a prominent Scottish merchant and landowner who lived from 1735 to 1801.
While the Fettis surname may have originated from a specific location, it has since become dispersed across various regions of the United Kingdom and beyond, with individuals bearing this name contributing to various facets of society throughout history.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Fettis
Among Census respondents with the surname Fettis, the largest self-reported group is White at 86.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (7.7%) and Two or More Races (2.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Fettis 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 Fettis surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White86.5% · 90
- Hispanic or Latino7.7% · 8
- Two or more races2.9% · 3
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.9% · 2
- Black or African American1.0% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Fettis
Fettis 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
#150,452
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 109
-9 bearers (-7.6%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 18,193 places
2020
#153,590
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 104
-5 bearers (-4.6%)
Per 100,000 0.03
Rank movement Down 3,138 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #132,259 | 118 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #150,452 | 109 | 0.04 | -9 bearers (-7.6%) | Down 18,193 places |
| 2020 | #153,590 | 104 | 0.03 | -5 bearers (-4.6%) | Down 3,138 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 Fettis 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 | #150,452 | #153,590 | -2.1% |
| Count | 109 | 104 | -4.6% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.03 | -13.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Fettis bearers went from 109 to 104 (-4.6% change). The surname moved down 3,138 positions in the national ranking, going from #150,452 to #153,590.
FAQ
Fettis surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Fettis?
Name Census estimates that about 119 living Americans carry the surname Fettis. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,880,289 residents.
How common is Fettis?
Fettis ranks #153,590 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.03 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 104 people with the surname Fettis. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (119), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.03 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.03 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 Fettis.
Has Fettis become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Fettis went from 109 recorded bearers to 104. That is a decrease of 5 (-4.6%). In the national ranking it fell from #150,452 to #153,590.
What does the Census say about the background of Fettis?
Among Census respondents with the surname Fettis, the largest self-reported group is White at 86.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (7.7%) and Two or More Races (2.9%). 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 Fettis in the 2020 Census, accounting for 86.5% (90 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Fettis appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (86.5%), Hispanic (7.7%), Two or More Races (2.9%). 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 Fettis (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 Fettis mean?
An occupational surname derived from the Old French "faitiz" meaning made or shaped. 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 Fettis (0.03 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 Fettis?
Our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers how many people have the surname Fettis at a glance, with the living-bearer count up front.