2010
#145,220
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 114
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Fielhauer
A German surname possibly derived from a geographical name referring to a field or meadow worker.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 133 Americans carry the last name Fielhauer. That puts it at #145,028 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,577,100 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Fielhauer 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
133
1 in 2,577,100
Census rank
#145,028
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
116
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 116 bearers of the surname Fielhauer in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 145028th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Fielhauer, the largest self-reported group is White at 95.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.3%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Fielhauer
The surname Fielhauer is believed to have originated in Germany during the Middle Ages. It is thought to have derived from the Old German word "feld," meaning field or open land, and the word "hauer," which translates to hewers or woodcutters. This suggests that the name may have initially referred to someone who cleared or worked in fields or woodlands.
One of the earliest known records of the Fielhauer name dates back to the 15th century in the region of Bavaria. An entry in a local parish register from 1472 mentions a Hans Fielhauer, who was a landowner and farmer. Another early reference is found in a court document from the city of Nuremberg in 1498, which lists a Jakob Fielhauer as a witness in a legal dispute.
In the 16th century, the Fielhauer name appears to have spread to other parts of Germany, such as Saxony and Thuringia. During this time, variations in spelling began to emerge, including Felhauer, Fehlhauer, and Fielhaur. These variations likely arose due to regional dialects and variations in record-keeping practices.
One notable historical figure with the Fielhauer surname was Johann Fielhauer (1522-1588), a Protestant reformer and theologian from Saxony. He was a prominent figure in the Lutheran church and wrote several influential works on theology and biblical exegesis.
Another significant individual was Maria Fielhauer (1658-1732), who was born in Bavaria and is recognized as one of the earliest female painters in German history. Her works, primarily portraiture and religious scenes, can be found in several museums and galleries across Europe.
In the 18th century, the Fielhauer name gained recognition through the works of Georg Fielhauer (1720-1792), a notable cartographer and geographer from Thuringia. His detailed maps and atlases were widely used and respected during his time.
The 19th century saw the Fielhauer name spread further across Europe, with records indicating families with this surname in Austria, Switzerland, and even as far as Russia. One prominent figure from this era was Karl Fielhauer (1845-1916), a German industrialist and entrepreneur who founded a successful textile manufacturing company in Saxony.
As the Fielhauer name continued to expand throughout the centuries, it has been carried by individuals from various backgrounds and professions, including artists, scholars, politicians, and businesspeople. While the name's origins can be traced back to medieval Germany, it has since become a part of the diverse tapestry of surnames found across Europe and beyond.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Fielhauer
Among Census respondents with the surname Fielhauer, the largest self-reported group is White at 95.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.3%).
The bar chart below shows how Fielhauer 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 Fielhauer surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White95.7% · 111
- Hispanic or Latino4.3% · 5
Timeline
Historical Census data for Fielhauer
Fielhauer appears in 2 published Census surname files: 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2020
#145,028
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 116
+2 bearers (+1.8%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 192 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #145,220 | 114 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #145,028 | 116 | 0.04 | +2 bearers (+1.8%) | Up 192 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 Fielhauer 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 | #145,220 | #145,028 | 0.1% |
| Count | 114 | 116 | 1.8% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -3.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Fielhauer bearers went from 114 to 116 (+1.8% change). The surname moved up 192 positions in the national ranking, going from #145,220 to #145,028.
FAQ
Fielhauer surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Fielhauer?
Name Census estimates that about 133 living Americans carry the surname Fielhauer. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,577,100 residents.
How common is Fielhauer?
Fielhauer ranks #145,028 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 116 people with the surname Fielhauer. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (133), 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 Fielhauer.
Has Fielhauer become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Fielhauer went from 114 recorded bearers to 116. That is an increase of 2 (+1.8%). In the national ranking it rose from #145,220 to #145,028.
What does the Census say about the background of Fielhauer?
Among Census respondents with the surname Fielhauer, the largest self-reported group is White at 95.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.3%). 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 Fielhauer in the 2020 Census, accounting for 95.7% (111 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Fielhauer appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (95.7%), Hispanic (4.3%). 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 Fielhauer (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 Fielhauer mean?
A German surname possibly derived from a geographical name referring to a field or meadow worker. 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 Fielhauer (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 Fielhauer?
Our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers how many people are called Fielhauer at a glance, with the living-bearer count up front.