2000
#134,929
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 115
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Fiess
A surname derived from a place name, possibly related to the German word "Vies" meaning "meadow".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 135 Americans carry the last name Fiess. 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 Fiess 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 Fiess 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 Fiess, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.1%) and Two or More Races (0.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Fiess
The surname Fiess is believed to have originated in Germany, with its roots dating back to the 16th century. It is thought to be derived from the German word "feiss," which means "fat" or "plump." This suggests that the name was initially used as a descriptive nickname for someone with a larger build.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Fiess can be found in the Kirchenbücher (church records) of the town of Essen, located in the Ruhr region of Germany. These records, which date back to the late 16th century, mention a family with the surname Fiess residing in the area.
During the 17th and 18th centuries, the name Fiess appeared in various historical documents across Germany, including birth and marriage records, tax rolls, and property deeds. Some variations in spelling, such as Feiss, Feysz, and Feisz, were also observed during this period.
One notable individual with the surname Fiess was Johann Fiess, a German artist and engraver born in Nuremberg in 1715. He was renowned for his intricate etchings and engravings, many of which depicted religious scenes and portraits.
Another prominent figure was Friedrich Fiess, a German philosopher and academic who lived from 1782 to 1856. He taught at the University of Heidelberg and was known for his work on ethics and moral philosophy.
In the 19th century, the name Fiess began to spread beyond Germany's borders as families emigrated to other parts of Europe and eventually to the Americas. One such individual was Karl Fiess, a German immigrant who settled in the United States in the mid-1800s and became a successful businessman in the city of Philadelphia.
Another notable individual from this era was Emma Fiess, a German-American writer and activist born in 1865. She was a vocal advocate for women's rights and wrote several books and articles on the subject.
In the early 20th century, the name Fiess was also found in parts of Austria and Switzerland, indicating the migration of families with this surname across German-speaking regions of Europe.
Overall, the surname Fiess has a rich history deeply rooted in German culture and has been carried by individuals from various walks of life, including artists, intellectuals, and entrepreneurs, over the course of several centuries.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Fiess
Among Census respondents with the surname Fiess, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.1%) and Two or More Races (0.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Fiess 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 Fiess surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White94.1% · 111
- Hispanic or Latino5.1% · 6
- Two or more races0.8% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Fiess
Fiess 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
#134,712
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 125
+10 bearers (+8.7%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 217 places
2020
#143,511
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 118
-7 bearers (-5.6%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 8,799 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 | #134,712 | 125 | 0.04 | +10 bearers (+8.7%) | Up 217 places |
| 2020 | #143,511 | 118 | 0.04 | -7 bearers (-5.6%) | Down 8,799 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 Fiess 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 | #134,712 | #143,511 | -6.5% |
| Count | 125 | 118 | -5.6% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -1.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Fiess bearers went from 125 to 118 (-5.6% change). The surname moved down 8,799 positions in the national ranking, going from #134,712 to #143,511.
FAQ
Fiess surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Fiess?
Name Census estimates that about 135 living Americans carry the surname Fiess. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,538,921 residents.
How common is Fiess?
Fiess 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 Fiess. 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 Fiess.
Has Fiess become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Fiess went from 125 recorded bearers to 118. That is a decrease of 7 (-5.6%). In the national ranking it fell from #134,712 to #143,511.
What does the Census say about the background of Fiess?
Among Census respondents with the surname Fiess, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.1%) and Two or More Races (0.8%). 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 Fiess in the 2020 Census, accounting for 94.1% (111 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Fiess appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (94.1%), Hispanic (5.1%), Two or More Races (0.8%). 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 Fiess (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 Fiess mean?
A surname derived from a place name, possibly related to the German word "Vies" meaning "meadow". 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 Fiess (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 Americans have the surname Fiess?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.