2000
#12,430
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,290
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.85
Rare Last name
Fisch
A German and Jewish occupational surname referring to a fisherman or fish seller.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,852 Americans carry the last name Fisch. That puts it at #11,996 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.83 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 120,180 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Fisch 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
2.9K
1 in 120,180
Census rank
#11,996
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.8
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.5K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,487 bearers of the surname Fisch in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.83 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 11996th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Fisch, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.7%) and Two or More Races (1.1%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Fisch
The surname FISCH is of German origin, derived from the Middle High German word "visch," meaning "fish." It is believed to have originated as an occupational name for a fisherman or fish merchant in the medieval period.
The earliest known record of the FISCH surname dates back to the 13th century in the regions of Bavaria and Saxony in Germany. It was often spelled as "Visch" or "Fisch" in old records and manuscripts from that time.
One notable early reference to the FISCH name can be found in the "Annales Fuldenses," a medieval chronicle written by the monks of the Fulda Abbey in Germany, which mentions a person named "Visch" in the year 1247.
In the 14th century, the FISCH surname appeared in various German city records, such as the "Stadtbücher" (city books) of Nuremberg, where a certain "Heinrich Fisch" was documented in 1367.
During the Middle Ages, the FISCH name was also associated with several prominent individuals, including Johann Fisch (c. 1435-1505), a German Renaissance humanist and scholar who served as the rector of the University of Ingolstadt.
Another notable figure was Georg Fisch (1603-1675), a German Protestant theologian and writer who authored several religious works and served as a professor at the University of Leipzig.
In the 18th century, the FISCH surname gained further recognition with the birth of Johann Fisch (1720-1786), a German composer and organist who worked in the court of the Prince-Bishop of Würzburg.
The name also spread to other parts of Europe, with instances such as Pieter Fisch (1616-1675), a Dutch Golden Age painter known for his still-life paintings featuring fish and other marine subjects.
Throughout the centuries, the FISCH surname has been associated with various occupations, including fishermen, merchants, scholars, and artists, reflecting the diverse backgrounds and contributions of those who bore this name.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Fisch
Among Census respondents with the surname Fisch, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.7%) and Two or More Races (1.1%).
The bar chart below shows how Fisch 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 Fisch surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White94.3% · 2,345
- Hispanic or Latino3.7% · 93
- Two or more races1.1% · 28
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 15
- Black or African American0.2% · 6
Timeline
Historical Census data for Fisch
Fisch 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
#12,423
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,502
+212 bearers (+9.3%)
Per 100,000 0.85
Rank movement Up 7 places
2020
#11,996
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,487
-15 bearers (-0.6%)
Per 100,000 0.83
Rank movement Up 427 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #12,430 | 2,290 | 0.85 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #12,423 | 2,502 | 0.85 | +212 bearers (+9.3%) | Up 7 places |
| 2020 | #11,996 | 2,487 | 0.83 | -15 bearers (-0.6%) | Up 427 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 Fisch 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 | #12,423 | #11,996 | 3.4% |
| Count | 2,502 | 2,487 | -0.6% |
| Per 100K | 0.85 | 0.83 | -2.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Fisch bearers went from 2,502 to 2,487 (-0.6% change). The surname moved up 427 positions in the national ranking, going from #12,423 to #11,996.
FAQ
Fisch surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Fisch?
Name Census estimates that about 2,852 living Americans carry the surname Fisch. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 120,180 residents.
How common is Fisch?
Fisch ranks #11,996 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.83 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 2,487 people with the surname Fisch. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,852), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.83 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.83 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Fisch.
Has Fisch become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Fisch went from 2,502 recorded bearers to 2,487. That is a decrease of 15 (-0.6%). In the national ranking it rose from #12,423 to #11,996.
What does the Census say about the background of Fisch?
Among Census respondents with the surname Fisch, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.7%) and Two or More Races (1.1%). 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 Fisch in the 2020 Census, accounting for 94.3% (2,345 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Fisch appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (94.3%), Hispanic (3.7%), Two or More Races (1.1%). 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 Fisch (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 Fisch mean?
A German and Jewish occupational surname referring to a fisherman or fish seller. 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 Fisch (0.83 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 Fisch?
Want to know how common the surname Fisch is? HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, puts the living-bearer count front and centre.