2000
#130,443
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 120
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Fex
A surname derived from the German term meaning "fox," possibly indicating a clever or crafty individual.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 116 Americans carry the last name Fex. That puts it at #155,270 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.03 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,954,779 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Fex 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
116
1 in 2,954,779
Census rank
#155,270
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
101
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 101 bearers of the surname Fex in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.03 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 155270th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Fex, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.0%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (3.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Fex
The surname Fex originates from the Czech Republic and Slovakia, emerging in the 16th century. It is derived from the old Czech word "feko," meaning a small bundle or package, suggesting an ancestral occupation involving carrying or handling goods.
Fex first appeared in local parish records and tax rolls in the towns of Pilsen and Brno around 1550. One of the earliest recorded instances is a merchant named Jiri Fex, born in 1572 in Pilsen, who traded in textiles and spices.
In the 17th century, the name spread to neighboring regions of Austria and Germany, with variations like Feks and Fecks appearing in official documents and guild registries. A notable figure was Hans Fex, a master baker in Vienna, born in 1619.
The Fex surname can be traced back to the village of Fexova in the Moravian region of the Czech Republic, which likely took its name from an early settler or landholder with the surname. Records from 1712 mention a farmer named Matej Fex residing in this village.
In the 18th century, the name gained prominence in the field of education. Jan Fex (1736-1812) was a respected educator and author of textbooks on mathematics and philosophy in Prague.
As the Fex family spread throughout Central Europe, some members found success in various professions. One such example is Alois Fex (1857-1932), a Czech-Austrian architect renowned for designing several landmark buildings in Vienna, including the Musikverein concert hall.
Other notable individuals with the Fex surname include Ondrej Fex (1901-1988), a Slovak politician and diplomat who served as ambassador to the United States, and Katarina Fex (b. 1964), a Swedish author and journalist known for her novels and essays on gender issues.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Fex
Among Census respondents with the surname Fex, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.0%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (3.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Fex 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 Fex surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White90.1% · 91
- Hispanic or Latino3.0% · 3
- Asian and Pacific Islander3.0% · 3
- Two or more races3.0% · 3
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.0% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Fex
Fex 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
#151,532
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 108
-12 bearers (-10.0%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 21,089 places
2020
#155,270
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 101
-7 bearers (-6.5%)
Per 100,000 0.03
Rank movement Down 3,738 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #130,443 | 120 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #151,532 | 108 | 0.04 | -12 bearers (-10.0%) | Down 21,089 places |
| 2020 | #155,270 | 101 | 0.03 | -7 bearers (-6.5%) | Down 3,738 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 Fex 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 | #151,532 | #155,270 | -2.5% |
| Count | 108 | 101 | -6.5% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.03 | -15.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Fex bearers went from 108 to 101 (-6.5% change). The surname moved down 3,738 positions in the national ranking, going from #151,532 to #155,270.
FAQ
Fex surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Fex?
Name Census estimates that about 116 living Americans carry the surname Fex. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,954,779 residents.
How common is Fex?
Fex ranks #155,270 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 101 people with the surname Fex. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (116), 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 Fex.
Has Fex become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Fex went from 108 recorded bearers to 101. That is a decrease of 7 (-6.5%). In the national ranking it fell from #151,532 to #155,270.
What does the Census say about the background of Fex?
Among Census respondents with the surname Fex, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.0%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (3.0%). 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 Fex in the 2020 Census, accounting for 90.1% (91 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Fex appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (90.1%), Hispanic (3.0%), Asian/Pacific Islander (3.0%). 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 Fex (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 Fex mean?
A surname derived from the German term meaning "fox," possibly indicating a clever or crafty individual. 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 Fex (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 many people have the last name Fex?
Our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers how many Americans have the surname Fex at a glance, with the living-bearer count up front.