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

Fifer, 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 Fifer surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Fifer in America

Fifer is the 10743rd most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Fifer surname appeared 2,971 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 1 people would have the surname Fifer.

We can also compare 2010 data for Fifer 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 Fifer

The surname Fifer is of Scottish origin, deriving from the occupation of a fifer or piper, an important role in medieval times. It is believed to have originated in the late 14th century or early 15th century.

The name is derived from the Old English word "fyfer" or "fyfere", which referred to a player of the fife, a small high-pitched flute commonly used in military and ceremonial contexts. The fife was often played alongside drums to signal commands and rallying calls.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Fifer can be found in the Exchequer Rolls of Scotland from the late 15th century, where a "John Fifer" is mentioned as receiving payment for his services as a piper in the royal court.

In the 16th century, the name Fifer appears in various records across Scotland, including the Burgh Records of Aberdeen and the Register of the Privy Council of Scotland. This suggests that individuals with this surname were present in both urban and rural areas.

Notable individuals with the surname Fifer throughout history include:

1. Robert Fifer (c. 1540 - 1612), a Scottish clergyman and reformer who played a significant role in the Scottish Reformation.

2. James Fifer (1760 - 1836), a Scottish soldier and piper who served in the British Army during the Napoleonic Wars.

3. William Fifer (1857 - 1944), an American politician and lawyer who served as the 16th Governor of Illinois from 1889 to 1893.

4. George Fifer (1871 - 1954), a Scottish-born American baseball player who played for several Major League Baseball teams in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.

5. Margaret Fifer (1914 - 2011), a Scottish artist and sculptor known for her portraits and public art installations.

The name Fifer has also been associated with various place names, particularly in Scotland, such as Fife and Fifeshire, which may have contributed to the development and spread of the surname.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Fifer

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

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 Fifer 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 Fifer 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 Fifer was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

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

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