2000
#124,872
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 127
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.05
Very Rare Last name
Fickinger
An occupational surname derived from the German word "fickingen" meaning "to move back and forth."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 135 Americans carry the last name Fickinger. That puts it at #143,511 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,538,921 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Fickinger 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
135
1 in 2,538,921
Census rank
#143,511
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
118
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 118 bearers of the surname Fickinger in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 143511th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Fickinger, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.5%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.4%) and Black (1.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Fickinger
The surname Fickinger is of German origin, and it first appeared in the 14th century in the region of Bavaria. The name is believed to have derived from the Old High German word "ficken," which means "to move quickly or excitedly." This suggests that the name may have originally referred to someone who had a tendency to move in a lively or energetic manner.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the Fickinger surname can be found in the town records of Nuremberg, where a certain Hans Fickinger was mentioned as a landowner in 1382. This document provides valuable insight into the name's early history and its connection to the region.
In the late 15th century, the Fickinger name appeared in the Codex Diplomaticus, a collection of historical documents from the Holy Roman Empire. This record mentions a Johann Fickinger, who was a nobleman and landowner in the region of Franconia.
During the 16th century, the Fickinger surname gained prominence in the city of Augsburg, where a family of that name was known for their involvement in the textile trade. One notable member was Jakob Fickinger (1510-1578), who was a successful merchant and a respected member of the city's guild system.
In the 17th century, the Fickinger name spread to other parts of Germany, including the region of Saxony. A notable figure from this time was Johann Gottfried Fickinger (1645-1712), who was a Lutheran theologian and author of several religious texts.
As the name continued to disperse throughout Germany in the 18th and 19th centuries, it also found its way to other parts of Europe and eventually to the Americas. One notable bearer of the Fickinger name during this period was Friedrich Wilhelm Fickinger (1768-1839), a German-American entrepreneur who immigrated to the United States and established a successful business in the state of Pennsylvania.
Throughout its long history, the Fickinger surname has been associated with various professions and occupations, including landowners, merchants, theologians, and entrepreneurs. While the name may have originated from a description of a person's lively or energetic behavior, it has since become a respected and well-established surname in Germany and beyond.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Fickinger
Among Census respondents with the surname Fickinger, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.5%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.4%) and Black (1.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Fickinger 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 Fickinger surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White91.5% · 108
- Two or more races3.4% · 4
- Black or African American1.7% · 2
- Hispanic or Latino1.7% · 2
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.7% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Fickinger
Fickinger 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
#137,327
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 122
-5 bearers (-3.9%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 12,455 places
2020
#143,511
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 118
-4 bearers (-3.3%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 6,184 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #124,872 | 127 | 0.05 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #137,327 | 122 | 0.04 | -5 bearers (-3.9%) | Down 12,455 places |
| 2020 | #143,511 | 118 | 0.04 | -4 bearers (-3.3%) | Down 6,184 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 Fickinger 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 | #137,327 | #143,511 | -4.5% |
| Count | 122 | 118 | -3.3% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -1.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Fickinger bearers went from 122 to 118 (-3.3% change). The surname moved down 6,184 positions in the national ranking, going from #137,327 to #143,511.
FAQ
Fickinger surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Fickinger?
Name Census estimates that about 135 living Americans carry the surname Fickinger. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,538,921 residents.
How common is Fickinger?
Fickinger ranks #143,511 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.04 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 118 people with the surname Fickinger. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (135), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.04 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 Fickinger.
Has Fickinger become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Fickinger went from 122 recorded bearers to 118. That is a decrease of 4 (-3.3%). In the national ranking it fell from #137,327 to #143,511.
What does the Census say about the background of Fickinger?
Among Census respondents with the surname Fickinger, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.5%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.4%) and Black (1.7%). 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 Fickinger in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.5% (108 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Fickinger appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (91.5%), Two or More Races (3.4%), Black (1.7%). 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 Fickinger (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 Fickinger mean?
An occupational surname derived from the German word "fickingen" meaning "to move back and forth." 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 Fickinger (0.04 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 surname Fickinger?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.