2000
#23,152
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,029
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.38
Rare Last name
Fichtner
A German surname associated with the pine tree or derived from the word "Fichte" meaning spruce.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 1,143 Americans carry the last name Fichtner. That puts it at #25,867 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.33 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 299,873 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Fichtner 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
1.1K
1 in 299,873
Census rank
#25,867
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.3
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
997
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 997 bearers of the surname Fichtner in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.33 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 25867th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Fichtner, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.7%) and Two or More Races (2.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Fichtner
The surname Fichtner originates from Germany, with its earliest known roots dating back to the 13th century. It is likely derived from the German word "Fichte," meaning "spruce" or "fir tree," indicating that the name may have originally been an occupational surname for someone who worked with or lived near these types of trees.
The name Fichtner was initially found in the regions of Bavaria and Saxony, where it was recorded in various medieval records and documents. One of the earliest mentions of the name can be found in the Codex Diplomaticus Saxoniae, a collection of historical documents from Saxony, which includes a reference to a person named "Henricus Fichtner" in the year 1287.
During the 14th and 15th centuries, the name Fichtner appeared in various town and village records, such as tax rolls and property deeds. For example, in 1423, a record from the town of Rothenburg ob der Tauber mentioned a "Hans Fichtner," who was likely a local resident or landowner.
As time passed, the name Fichtner spread to other parts of Germany and beyond. One notable figure was Johann Fichtner, a Lutheran theologian and philosopher born in 1622 in the town of Groß Salze, near Magdeburg. He made significant contributions to the development of Protestant theology in the 17th century.
Another noteworthy individual was Carl Wilhelm Fichtner, a German painter and engraver born in 1718 in Dresden. He is known for his landscape paintings and etchings, which captured the beauty of the German countryside and architecture.
In the 19th century, the name Fichtner gained prominence with the birth of Gustav Theodor Fechner (originally spelled Fichtner) in 1801. He was a German philosopher, psychologist, and physicist, best known for his work on psychophysics and the mind-body problem. His ideas and writings had a significant impact on the development of modern psychology and the study of human perception.
Other historical figures with the surname Fichtner include Heinrich Fichtner, a German chess master who lived in the late 19th century, and Otto Fichtner, a German architect and urban planner who was active in the early 20th century, contributing to the design of several notable buildings and urban projects in Germany.
Overall, the surname Fichtner has a rich history deeply rooted in German culture and tradition, with its origins likely stemming from an occupational connection to spruce or fir trees. Throughout the centuries, individuals with this name have made significant contributions across various fields, including theology, art, philosophy, and architecture.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Fichtner
Among Census respondents with the surname Fichtner, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.7%) and Two or More Races (2.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Fichtner 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 Fichtner surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White91.1% · 908
- Hispanic or Latino4.7% · 47
- Two or more races2.9% · 29
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.1% · 11
- Black or African American0.2% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Fichtner
Fichtner 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
#24,747
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,007
-22 bearers (-2.1%)
Per 100,000 0.34
Rank movement Down 1,595 places
2020
#25,867
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 997
-10 bearers (-1.0%)
Per 100,000 0.33
Rank movement Down 1,120 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #23,152 | 1,029 | 0.38 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #24,747 | 1,007 | 0.34 | -22 bearers (-2.1%) | Down 1,595 places |
| 2020 | #25,867 | 997 | 0.33 | -10 bearers (-1.0%) | Down 1,120 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 Fichtner 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 | #24,747 | #25,867 | -4.5% |
| Count | 1,007 | 997 | -1.0% |
| Per 100K | 0.34 | 0.33 | -1.9% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Fichtner bearers went from 1,007 to 997 (-1.0% change). The surname moved down 1,120 positions in the national ranking, going from #24,747 to #25,867.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Fichtner
FAQ
Fichtner surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Fichtner?
Name Census estimates that about 1,143 living Americans carry the surname Fichtner. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 299,873 residents.
How common is Fichtner?
Fichtner ranks #25,867 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.33 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 997 people with the surname Fichtner. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (1,143), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.33 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.33 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 Fichtner.
Has Fichtner become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Fichtner went from 1,007 recorded bearers to 997. That is a decrease of 10 (-1.0%). In the national ranking it fell from #24,747 to #25,867.
What does the Census say about the background of Fichtner?
Among Census respondents with the surname Fichtner, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.7%) 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 Fichtner in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.1% (908 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Fichtner appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (91.1%), Hispanic (4.7%), 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 Fichtner (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 Fichtner mean?
A German surname associated with the pine tree or derived from the word "Fichte" meaning spruce. 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 Fichtner (0.33 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 are called Fichtner?
If you just want to know how many people have the surname Fichtner, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.