2000
#8,621
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,512
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.30
Rare Last name
Fetzer
A German occupational surname derived from the word "Fetzer," meaning a rag picker, tailor, or cloth patcher.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 3,915 Americans carry the last name Fetzer. That puts it at #9,177 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.14 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 87,549 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Fetzer 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
3.9K
1 in 87,549
Census rank
#9,177
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
3.4K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 3,414 bearers of the surname Fetzer in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.14 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 9177th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Fetzer, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.6%) and Two or More Races (2.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Fetzer
The surname Fetzer has its origins in Germany, where it emerged in the 13th century. It is believed to have derived from the German word "fetz," which means "rag" or "shred." This suggests that the name may have been a nickname for someone who wore tattered or ragged clothes.
The earliest recorded instances of the name Fetzer can be found in various medieval records and documents from the region of Bavaria in southern Germany. One of the first known bearers of the name was Hans Fetzer, a farmer who lived in the village of Ebersberg near Munich in the late 15th century.
During the 16th and 17th centuries, the name Fetzer began to spread beyond Bavaria to other parts of Germany. In the 1600s, a branch of the family settled in the town of Weingarten, in the state of Baden-Württemberg. One notable member of this branch was Johann Fetzer, a respected merchant and civic leader who was born in 1642.
As the name Fetzer became more widespread, it also underwent various spelling variations. Some of these include Fetzser, Fetzser, and Fätzer. In some regions, the name was also associated with certain place names, such as Fetzersbach and Fetzersheim.
Throughout history, there have been several notable individuals who bore the surname Fetzer. One of the earliest was Hans Fetzer, a German Renaissance painter who was active in the early 16th century. His works can still be found in various churches and museums across southern Germany.
Another significant figure was Johann Fetzer, a German Lutheran theologian and philosopher who lived from 1646 to 1719. He was a renowned scholar and author who wrote extensively on religious and philosophical topics.
In the 19th century, Friedrich Fetzer (1822-1894) was a prominent German politician and lawyer. He served as a member of the Reichstag (German parliament) and was known for his liberal political views.
More recently, the name Fetzer has been associated with individuals in various fields, such as American philosopher and author James Fetzer, born in 1940, and German football player Christian Fetzer, born in 1992.
While the surname Fetzer may have humble beginnings as a nickname for someone who wore ragged clothes, it has since become a respected name with a rich history and notable bearers across various disciplines and professions.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Fetzer
Among Census respondents with the surname Fetzer, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.6%) and Two or More Races (2.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Fetzer 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 Fetzer surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White92.3% · 3,150
- Hispanic or Latino3.6% · 124
- Two or more races2.5% · 85
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.1% · 36
- Black or African American0.4% · 13
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 6
Timeline
Historical Census data for Fetzer
Fetzer 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
#9,190
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,550
+38 bearers (+1.1%)
Per 100,000 1.20
Rank movement Down 569 places
2020
#9,177
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,414
-136 bearers (-3.8%)
Per 100,000 1.14
Rank movement Up 13 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #8,621 | 3,512 | 1.30 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #9,190 | 3,550 | 1.20 | +38 bearers (+1.1%) | Down 569 places |
| 2020 | #9,177 | 3,414 | 1.14 | -136 bearers (-3.8%) | Up 13 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 Fetzer 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 | #9,190 | #9,177 | 0.1% |
| Count | 3,550 | 3,414 | -3.8% |
| Per 100K | 1.20 | 1.14 | -4.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Fetzer bearers went from 3,550 to 3,414 (-3.8% change). The surname moved up 13 positions in the national ranking, going from #9,190 to #9,177.
FAQ
Fetzer surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Fetzer?
Name Census estimates that about 3,915 living Americans carry the surname Fetzer. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 87,549 residents.
How common is Fetzer?
Fetzer ranks #9,177 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.14 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 3,414 people with the surname Fetzer. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (3,915), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.14 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.14 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 Fetzer.
Has Fetzer become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Fetzer went from 3,550 recorded bearers to 3,414. That is a decrease of 136 (-3.8%). In the national ranking it rose from #9,190 to #9,177.
What does the Census say about the background of Fetzer?
Among Census respondents with the surname Fetzer, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.6%) and Two or More Races (2.5%). 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 Fetzer in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.3% (3,150 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Fetzer appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (92.3%), Hispanic (3.6%), Two or More Races (2.5%). 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 Fetzer (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 Fetzer mean?
A German occupational surname derived from the word "Fetzer," meaning a rag picker, tailor, or cloth patcher. 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 Fetzer (1.14 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 Fetzer?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.