2010
#133,863
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 126
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Firsdon
A locational surname derived from a place name meaning "the fir tree valley".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 139 Americans carry the last name Firsdon. That puts it at #141,309 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,465,859 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Firsdon 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
139
1 in 2,465,859
Census rank
#141,309
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
121
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 121 bearers of the surname Firsdon in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 141309th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Firsdon, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.4%. The next largest groups are Black (4.1%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (3.3%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Firsdon
The surname Firsdon traces its origins back to England, with the earliest known records dating from the late 16th century. It is believed to be a locational name, derived from a place called Fursdon or Fersdon, which was likely a small village or hamlet in one of the southern counties of England.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the parish records of Wincanton, Somerset, where a Thomas Firsdon was baptized in 1597. This suggests that the name may have originated in or around the Somerset region, where variations such as Fursdon and Fersdon were also commonly found.
The name Firsdon is thought to have evolved from the Old English words "fyrs" or "fers," meaning a furze or gorse bush, and "dun," meaning a hill or down. This indicates that the name may have originally referred to someone who lived near a furze-covered hill or a place called "Furze Down."
In the early 17th century, a John Firsdon was recorded as residing in the parish of Buckland Newton, Dorset, further cementing the name's presence in the southwestern counties of England. Additionally, a William Firsdon was mentioned in the records of the nearby parish of Haselbury Plucknett, Somerset, in 1634.
One notable figure bearing the Firsdon surname was Richard Firsdon, a merchant and landowner who lived in the late 16th and early 17th centuries. He was born in Somerset around 1560 and is believed to have owned several properties in the county.
Another early record of the name is found in the parish registers of Thornbury, Gloucestershire, where a Thomas Firsdon and his wife Elizabeth had several children baptized between 1642 and 1654.
In the 18th century, a John Firsdon (1712-1780) is documented as having served as the vicar of the parish of Kilmington, Somerset, from 1745 until his death in 1780.
As the centuries progressed, the Firsdon name continued to be found primarily in the southwestern counties of England, particularly in Somerset, Dorset, and Devon, with occasional occurrences in neighboring counties such as Gloucestershire and Wiltshire.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Firsdon
Among Census respondents with the surname Firsdon, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.4%. The next largest groups are Black (4.1%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (3.3%).
The bar chart below shows how Firsdon 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 Firsdon surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White88.4% · 107
- Black or African American4.1% · 5
- Asian and Pacific Islander3.3% · 4
- Two or more races2.5% · 3
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.7% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Firsdon
Firsdon appears in 2 published Census surname files: 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2020
#141,309
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 121
-5 bearers (-4.0%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 7,446 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #133,863 | 126 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #141,309 | 121 | 0.04 | -5 bearers (-4.0%) | Down 7,446 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 Firsdon 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 | #133,863 | #141,309 | -5.6% |
| Count | 126 | 121 | -4.0% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | 1.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Firsdon bearers went from 126 to 121 (-4.0% change). The surname moved down 7,446 positions in the national ranking, going from #133,863 to #141,309.
FAQ
Firsdon surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Firsdon?
Name Census estimates that about 139 living Americans carry the surname Firsdon. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,465,859 residents.
How common is Firsdon?
Firsdon ranks #141,309 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 121 people with the surname Firsdon. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (139), 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 Firsdon.
Has Firsdon become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Firsdon went from 126 recorded bearers to 121. That is a decrease of 5 (-4.0%). In the national ranking it fell from #133,863 to #141,309.
What does the Census say about the background of Firsdon?
Among Census respondents with the surname Firsdon, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.4%. The next largest groups are Black (4.1%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (3.3%). 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 Firsdon in the 2020 Census, accounting for 88.4% (107 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Firsdon appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (88.4%), Black (4.1%), Asian/Pacific Islander (3.3%). 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 Firsdon (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 Firsdon mean?
A locational surname derived from a place name meaning "the fir tree 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 Firsdon (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 common is the surname Firsdon?
See how many people have the last name Firsdon on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.