2000
#143,847
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 106
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Feyrer
A German surname derived from the Latin word "feriae" meaning holiday or festival.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 182 Americans carry the last name Feyrer. That puts it at #116,252 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.05 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 1,883,266 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Feyrer 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
182
1 in 1,883,266
Census rank
#116,252
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
159
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 159 bearers of the surname Feyrer in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.05 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 116252nd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Feyrer, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.4%) and Black (2.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Feyrer
The surname Feyrer is of German origin, dating back to the medieval period. It is derived from the Old High German word "feir," meaning "fire" or "flame." This suggests that the name may have originally been an occupational name for someone who worked with fire, such as a blacksmith or a potter.
The earliest recorded instances of the name Feyrer can be found in various German historical records from the 13th and 14th centuries. In the Heidelberg Codex, a manuscript from the late 13th century, there is a mention of a "Cunrad Feyrer" from the town of Rothenburg ob der Tauber.
During the 15th century, the name Feyrer appears to have spread to other regions of Germany, as well as neighboring areas such as Austria and Switzerland. In the Swiss canton of Bern, there is a record of a "Hans Feyrer" who was a master stonemason in the year 1472.
One of the earliest known individuals with the surname Feyrer was Johannes Feyrer, a German scholar and humanist who lived from 1480 to 1537. He was a professor at the University of Ingolstadt and is remembered for his contributions to the study of classical literature.
Another notable figure was Georg Feyrer, a German military engineer and architect who lived from 1567 to 1625. He is credited with designing several fortifications and defensive structures throughout Germany and the Holy Roman Empire.
In the 18th century, a prominent member of the Feyrer family was Johann Christoph Feyrer, a German composer and organist who was born in 1706 and died in 1798. His compositions, particularly his organ works, were highly regarded during his lifetime.
The name Feyrer has also been associated with various place names in Germany and Austria, such as Feyregg, a municipality in the Austrian state of Upper Austria, and Feyringen, a town in the German state of Baden-Württemberg.
Overall, the surname Feyrer has a rich history that can be traced back to the Middle Ages in German-speaking regions. While its origins may have been occupational, the name has been carried by scholars, artists, and other notable individuals throughout the centuries.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Feyrer
Among Census respondents with the surname Feyrer, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.4%) and Black (2.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Feyrer 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 Feyrer surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White88.1% · 140
- Hispanic or Latino4.4% · 7
- Black or African American2.5% · 4
- Two or more races2.5% · 4
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.3% · 2
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.3% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Feyrer
Feyrer 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
#160,975
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 100
-6 bearers (-5.7%)
Per 100,000 0.03
Rank movement Down 17,128 places
2020
#116,252
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 159
+59 bearers (+59.0%)
Per 100,000 0.05
Rank movement Up 44,723 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #143,847 | 106 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #160,975 | 100 | 0.03 | -6 bearers (-5.7%) | Down 17,128 places |
| 2020 | #116,252 | 159 | 0.05 | +59 bearers (+59.0%) | Up 44,723 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 Feyrer 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 | #160,975 | #116,252 | 27.8% |
| Count | 100 | 159 | 59.0% |
| Per 100K | 0.03 | 0.05 | 77.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Feyrer bearers went from 100 to 159 (+59.0% change). The surname moved up 44,723 positions in the national ranking, going from #160,975 to #116,252.
FAQ
Feyrer surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Feyrer?
Name Census estimates that about 182 living Americans carry the surname Feyrer. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 1,883,266 residents.
How common is Feyrer?
Feyrer ranks #116,252 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.05 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 159 people with the surname Feyrer. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (182), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.05 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.05 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 Feyrer.
Has Feyrer become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Feyrer went from 100 recorded bearers to 159. That is an increase of 59 (+59.0%). In the national ranking it rose from #160,975 to #116,252.
What does the Census say about the background of Feyrer?
Among Census respondents with the surname Feyrer, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.4%) and Black (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 Feyrer in the 2020 Census, accounting for 88.1% (140 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Feyrer appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (88.1%), Hispanic (4.4%), Black (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 Feyrer (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 Feyrer mean?
A German surname derived from the Latin word "feriae" meaning holiday or festival. 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 Feyrer (0.05 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 Feyrer?
See how many people have the last name Feyrer on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.