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

Fingar, 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 Fingar surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Fingar in America

Fingar is the 62903rd most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Fingar surname appeared 318 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 Fingar.

We can also compare 2010 data for Fingar 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 Fingar

The surname Fingar is believed to have originated in Norway during the medieval period. It is derived from the Old Norse word "fingr," meaning "finger." This suggests that the name may have been initially given as a descriptive nickname to someone with long or distinctive fingers.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Fingar can be found in the Diplomatarium Norvegicum, a collection of medieval Norwegian diplomatic documents. In a document dated 1342, a man named Thorvald Fingar is mentioned as a witness to a land transaction in the region of Trondheim.

During the 15th century, the Fingar surname began to appear in various parts of Norway, particularly in the western and central regions. In a census record from 1475, a family by the name of Fingar is listed as residing in the village of Voss, located in the county of Hordaland.

As the name spread throughout Norway, variations in spelling emerged, such as Fingaar, Fingår, and Fingær. These variations were likely due to regional dialects and the evolving orthography of the Norwegian language.

One notable figure bearing the Fingar surname was Olav Fingar, a Norwegian farmer and landowner who lived in the late 16th century. Records indicate that he owned substantial properties in the Gudbrandsdalen valley, a region known for its agricultural prosperity.

In the 17th century, the Fingar name found its way to Iceland, where it was adopted by a family of settlers from Norway. A prominent Icelander with this surname was Jón Fingar, born in 1625, who served as a Lutheran clergyman and played a vital role in the translation of religious texts into Icelandic.

Another notable individual with the Fingar surname was Anders Fingar, a Norwegian sailor and explorer born in 1710. He is recorded as having participated in several expeditions to the Arctic regions, contributing to the mapping and exploration of the northern seas.

During the 19th century, members of the Fingar family migrated from Norway to various parts of the world, including the United States and Canada. One such individual was Nils Fingar, born in 1842, who settled in Minnesota and became a successful farmer and landowner.

Throughout its history, the Fingar surname has maintained a strong presence in Norway and other Scandinavian countries. While not a common name, it has been borne by individuals from various walks of life, from farmers and landowners to clergymen and explorers.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Fingar

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

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

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

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