2000
#4,559
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 7,144
First available Census row
Per 100,000 2.65
Rare Last name
Fiedler
An occupational surname referring to a fiddle player or violinist.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 7,823 Americans carry the last name Fiedler. That puts it at #4,985 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 2.28 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 43,814 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Fiedler 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
7.8K
1 in 43,814
Census rank
#4,985
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
2.3
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
6.8K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 6,822 bearers of the surname Fiedler in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 2.28 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 4985th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Fiedler, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.5%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.1%) and Hispanic (3.1%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Fiedler
The surname Fiedler originated in Germany and dates back to the Middle Ages. It is derived from the German word "fiedeln," which means "to play the fiddle or violin." The name likely referred to an occupation or a nickname given to someone who played the fiddle or violin for a living.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Fiedler can be found in the town records of Quedlinburg, Germany, from the 14th century. The name was also found in various German manuscripts and documents throughout the Middle Ages and the Renaissance period.
In the 16th century, a notable individual named Hans Fiedler (1515-1587) was a renowned lute player and composer from Nuremberg, Germany. He was highly regarded for his contributions to the development of the lute repertoire during the Renaissance.
Another prominent figure with the surname Fiedler was Johann Fiedler (1768-1839), a German composer and organist who lived in the late 18th and early 19th centuries. He was known for his church music compositions and served as an organist in various churches in Germany.
Moving forward to the 19th century, Arthur Fiedler (1894-1979) was an American conductor of Polish-Russian descent who was best known for his long tenure as the conductor of the Boston Pops Orchestra. He popularized classical music and introduced it to a wider audience through his concerts and recordings.
In the world of literature, Leslie Fiedler (1917-2003) was an influential American literary critic and scholar. He is renowned for his groundbreaking work on American literature and popular culture, particularly his exploration of the theme of male friendship in American novels.
Another individual worth mentioning is Arkady Fiedler (1894-1985), a Russian-born American violinist and conductor. He was a respected figure in the classical music scene and served as the music director of several orchestras, including the Boston Pops Orchestra.
The surname Fiedler has its roots in the German language and can be traced back to the Middle Ages, when it was likely associated with the occupation of playing the fiddle or violin. Throughout history, individuals bearing this surname have made significant contributions in various fields, including music, literature, and the arts.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Fiedler
Among Census respondents with the surname Fiedler, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.5%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.1%) and Hispanic (3.1%).
The bar chart below shows how Fiedler 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 Fiedler surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White92.5% · 6,309
- Two or more races3.1% · 210
- Hispanic or Latino3.1% · 209
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 54
- Black or African American0.4% · 26
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 14
Timeline
Historical Census data for Fiedler
Fiedler 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
#4,777
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 7,403
+259 bearers (+3.6%)
Per 100,000 2.51
Rank movement Down 218 places
2020
#4,985
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 6,822
-581 bearers (-7.8%)
Per 100,000 2.28
Rank movement Down 208 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #4,559 | 7,144 | 2.65 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #4,777 | 7,403 | 2.51 | +259 bearers (+3.6%) | Down 218 places |
| 2020 | #4,985 | 6,822 | 2.28 | -581 bearers (-7.8%) | Down 208 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 Fiedler 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 | #4,777 | #4,985 | -4.4% |
| Count | 7,403 | 6,822 | -7.8% |
| Per 100K | 2.51 | 2.28 | -9.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Fiedler bearers went from 7,403 to 6,822 (-7.8% change). The surname moved down 208 positions in the national ranking, going from #4,777 to #4,985.
FAQ
Fiedler surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Fiedler?
Name Census estimates that about 7,823 living Americans carry the surname Fiedler. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 43,814 residents.
How common is Fiedler?
Fiedler ranks #4,985 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 2.28 per 100,000 residents, which is about 2 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 6,822 people with the surname Fiedler. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (7,823), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 2.28 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 2.28 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 2 of them to have the surname Fiedler.
Has Fiedler become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Fiedler went from 7,403 recorded bearers to 6,822. That is a decrease of 581 (-7.8%). In the national ranking it fell from #4,777 to #4,985.
What does the Census say about the background of Fiedler?
Among Census respondents with the surname Fiedler, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.5%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.1%) and Hispanic (3.1%). 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 Fiedler in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.5% (6,309 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Fiedler appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (92.5%), Two or More Races (3.1%), Hispanic (3.1%). 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 Fiedler (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 Fiedler mean?
An occupational surname referring to a fiddle player or violinist. 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 Fiedler (2.28 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 Fiedler?
For a quick modern take, check how many Americans have the surname Fiedler on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org.