2000
#135,837
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 114
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Fiegener
A surname of German origin derived from the word "feiger," meaning "coward."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 130 Americans carry the last name Fiegener. That puts it at #147,221 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,636,572 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Fiegener 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
130
1 in 2,636,572
Census rank
#147,221
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
113
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 113 bearers of the surname Fiegener in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 147221st position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Fiegener, the largest self-reported group is White at 100.0%.
Origin
Meaning and origin of Fiegener
The surname FIEGENER is of German origin, originating in the early 19th century. It is believed to have derived from the German word "fegen," which means "to sweep" or "to clean," suggesting that the name may have been an occupational surname for someone who worked as a sweeper or a cleaner.
The earliest recorded instances of the FIEGENER surname can be traced back to the region of Bavaria, in southern Germany. Historical records from the early 1800s indicate that the name was prevalent in towns and villages around the city of Munich, where it is likely that the first bearers of the name resided.
One of the earliest documented individuals with the FIEGENER surname was Johann FIEGENER, a farmer born in the village of Garmisch-Partenkirchen in 1825. Records show that he married Maria Stöckl in 1850 and had several children, contributing to the spread of the FIEGENER name in the region.
Another notable FIEGENER was Hans FIEGENER, a master craftsman and woodcarver who lived in the town of Oberammergau in the late 19th century. His intricate woodcarvings adorned many churches and buildings in the area, and his work was highly regarded at the time.
In the early 20th century, the FIEGENER name gained some prominence with the birth of Wilhelm FIEGENER in 1901. He was a renowned linguist and scholar who made significant contributions to the study of Indo-European languages. His seminal work, "The Origins of the Germanic Languages," published in 1935, is still widely referenced in linguistic circles today.
During World War II, a German soldier named Karl FIEGENER gained notoriety for his bravery and leadership on the Eastern Front. Born in 1920 in the town of Rosenheim, he was awarded the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross for his valor in combat against Soviet forces.
Another notable FIEGENER was Ingrid FIEGENER, a talented artist and painter who lived in Munich during the mid-20th century. Her vibrant landscapes and portraits were widely exhibited in galleries across Germany, and her works are still highly sought after by art collectors today.
While the FIEGENER surname originated in Germany, it has since spread to other parts of the world due to migration and immigration. However, its roots can be traced back to the sweepers and cleaners of Bavaria in the early 19th century, reflecting the humble beginnings of this German surname.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Fiegener
Among Census respondents with the surname Fiegener, the largest self-reported group is White at 100.0%.
The bar chart below shows how Fiegener 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 Fiegener surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White100.0% · 113
Timeline
Historical Census data for Fiegener
Fiegener 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
#133,863
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 126
+12 bearers (+10.5%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 1,974 places
2020
#147,221
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 113
-13 bearers (-10.3%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 13,358 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #135,837 | 114 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #133,863 | 126 | 0.04 | +12 bearers (+10.5%) | Up 1,974 places |
| 2020 | #147,221 | 113 | 0.04 | -13 bearers (-10.3%) | Down 13,358 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 Fiegener 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 | #133,863 | #147,221 | -10.0% |
| Count | 126 | 113 | -10.3% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -5.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Fiegener bearers went from 126 to 113 (-10.3% change). The surname moved down 13,358 positions in the national ranking, going from #133,863 to #147,221.
FAQ
Fiegener surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Fiegener?
Name Census estimates that about 130 living Americans carry the surname Fiegener. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,636,572 residents.
How common is Fiegener?
Fiegener ranks #147,221 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 113 people with the surname Fiegener. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (130), 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 Fiegener.
Has Fiegener become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Fiegener went from 126 recorded bearers to 113. That is a decrease of 13 (-10.3%). In the national ranking it fell from #133,863 to #147,221.
What does the Census say about the background of Fiegener?
Among Census respondents with the surname Fiegener, the largest self-reported group is White at 100.0%. 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 Fiegener in the 2020 Census, accounting for 100.0% (113 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Fiegener appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (100.0%). 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 Fiegener (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 Fiegener mean?
A surname of German origin derived from the word "feiger," meaning "coward." 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 Fiegener (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 are called Fiegener?
For a quick modern take, check how many people have the surname Fiegener on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org.