2000
#134,929
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 115
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Fieselman
A habitational surname derived from a place name, possibly meaning "dwellers by the valley".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 122 Americans carry the last name Fieselman. That puts it at #152,339 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,809,462 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Fieselman 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
122
1 in 2,809,462
Census rank
#152,339
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
106
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 106 bearers of the surname Fieselman in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 152339th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Fieselman, the largest self-reported group is White at 95.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.8%) and Two or More Races (0.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Fieselman
The surname Fieselman is of German origin, derived from the town of Viesselbach in Bavaria. It is believed to have emerged in the late 15th century, with the earliest known spelling being "Fiesselmann". This name likely referred to someone who hailed from the town of Viesselbach or a nearby area.
Records from the 16th century show variations of the name, including "Fiesselmann", "Fiesselman", and "Fiesselman", indicating that spelling was not yet standardized. The name is thought to be a combination of the root "Viessel", referring to the town, and the German suffix "-mann", meaning "man" or "person".
One of the earliest documented instances of the name is found in the baptismal records of St. Michael's Church in Viesselbach, where a "Johannes Fiesselmann" was recorded in 1523. Another early reference is in the town records of Nürnberg, where a "Hans Fiesselmann" was listed as a tradesman in 1547.
In the 17th century, the surname began to spread beyond Bavaria, with records showing individuals bearing the name in other parts of Germany, as well as in neighboring regions such as Austria and Switzerland. Notable individuals from this period include:
1. Peter Fieselman (1602-1678), a scholar and professor of theology at the University of Heidelberg.
2. Anna Fieselman (1625-1689), a renowned midwife and herbalist from the town of Rothenburg ob der Tauber.
By the 18th century, the spelling had largely standardized to "Fieselman", and the name was found across various German-speaking regions. Prominent figures from this time include:
1. Johann Fieselman (1712-1784), a celebrated composer and organist from Augsburg.
2. Maria Fieselman (1738-1812), a well-known painter and portraitist from Regensburg.
As the 19th century dawned, the name continued to spread, with some individuals emigrating to other parts of Europe and even to the Americas. One notable individual from this period was:
1. Friedrich Fieselman (1826-1901), a German-born businessman and philanthropist who settled in New York City and founded the Fieselman Charitable Trust.
Throughout its history, the surname Fieselman has maintained a strong presence in German-speaking regions, while also spreading to other parts of the world through emigration and diaspora communities. Though not a particularly common name, it has left its mark on various fields, from academia and the arts to business and philanthropy.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Fieselman
Among Census respondents with the surname Fieselman, the largest self-reported group is White at 95.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.8%) and Two or More Races (0.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Fieselman 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 Fieselman surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White95.3% · 101
- Hispanic or Latino3.8% · 4
- Two or more races0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Fieselman
Fieselman 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
+7 bearers (+6.1%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 2,398 places
2020
#152,339
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 106
-16 bearers (-13.1%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 15,012 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #134,929 | 115 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #137,327 | 122 | 0.04 | +7 bearers (+6.1%) | Down 2,398 places |
| 2020 | #152,339 | 106 | 0.04 | -16 bearers (-13.1%) | Down 15,012 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 Fieselman 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 | #152,339 | -10.9% |
| Count | 122 | 106 | -13.1% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -11.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Fieselman bearers went from 122 to 106 (-13.1% change). The surname moved down 15,012 positions in the national ranking, going from #137,327 to #152,339.
FAQ
Fieselman surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Fieselman?
Name Census estimates that about 122 living Americans carry the surname Fieselman. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,809,462 residents.
How common is Fieselman?
Fieselman ranks #152,339 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 106 people with the surname Fieselman. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (122), 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 Fieselman.
Has Fieselman become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Fieselman went from 122 recorded bearers to 106. That is a decrease of 16 (-13.1%). In the national ranking it fell from #137,327 to #152,339.
What does the Census say about the background of Fieselman?
Among Census respondents with the surname Fieselman, the largest self-reported group is White at 95.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.8%) and Two or More Races (0.9%). 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 Fieselman in the 2020 Census, accounting for 95.3% (101 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Fieselman appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (95.3%), Hispanic (3.8%), Two or More Races (0.9%). 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 Fieselman (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 Fieselman mean?
A habitational surname derived from a place name, possibly meaning "dwellers by the valley". 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 Fieselman (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 Fieselman?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.