Find out how popular the last name Fiest is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Fiest.

Fiest, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Fiest surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Fiest in America

Fiest is the 58604th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Fiest surname appeared 346 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 people would have the surname Fiest.

We can also compare 2010 data for Fiest to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name Fiest

The surname Fiest is believed to have originated in Germany during the 13th century. It is thought to be derived from the Old German word "feist," which means "fleshy" or "plump." This suggests that the name may have been given as a descriptive nickname to someone who was overweight or stout.

In its earliest recorded forms, the name appeared as "Feyst" or "Feiste" in various medieval German records and manuscripts. One of the earliest known bearers of the name was Johannes Feiste, a merchant from the town of Nürnberg, who was mentioned in a local tax record from 1312.

The Fiest surname can also be traced to several place names in Germany, such as Feistenberg and Feistenwalde. These locations likely derived their names from the same root word as the surname, indicating that some early bearers of the name may have hailed from these areas.

By the 16th century, the name had spread beyond Germany and is found in historical records from other parts of Europe. One notable example is Pieter Fiest, a Dutch painter born in Amsterdam in 1578, who was known for his still-life paintings and landscapes.

In England, the name appeared as early as the 17th century, possibly brought over by German immigrants or traders. One of the earliest recorded instances is that of Hans Fiest, a German-born merchant who settled in London in 1648.

Other notable individuals with the surname Fiest throughout history include Johann Fiest (1660-1718), a German composer and organist from Leipzig; Wilhelm Fiest (1785-1867), a Prussian military officer who fought in the Napoleonic Wars; and Elise Fiest (1819-1891), a German writer and novelist known for her works of historical fiction.

While the surname Fiest is relatively uncommon today, it has a rich and varied history that spans several centuries and countries. Its origins can be traced back to medieval Germany, where it likely began as a descriptive nickname before evolving into a hereditary surname.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Fiest

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Fiest.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Fiest was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Fiest has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Fiest was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Fiest, please contact us.

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