2000
#14,413
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,902
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.71
Rare Last name
Fischbach
A German topographic surname referring to someone who lived near a fish brook or stream.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,127 Americans carry the last name Fischbach. That puts it at #15,231 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.62 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 161,144 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Fischbach 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
2.1K
1 in 161,144
Census rank
#15,231
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.6
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
1.9K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 1,855 bearers of the surname Fischbach in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.62 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 15231st position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Fischbach, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.7%) and Two or More Races (2.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Fischbach
The surname "FISCHBACH" has its origins in Germany, dating back to the Middle Ages. It is a topographic name, derived from the German words "Fisch" meaning fish and "Bach" meaning stream or brook, likely referring to someone who lived near a stream where fish were found.
The name can be traced back to the 13th century, with records showing variations such as "Fischebach" and "Fischbache" in areas like Bavaria and Saxony. It is believed that the name was originally an occupational name for a fisherman or someone involved in the fishing trade.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name is found in the Codex Diplomaticus Saxoniae, a collection of historical documents from the region of Saxony, where a "Heinrich Fischbach" is mentioned in a land transaction dated 1295.
In the 14th century, the name appears in the Heidelberg Manuscript, a collection of legal texts and documents from the region of Heidelberg, where a "Conrad Fischbach" is listed as a witness in a court case in 1378.
During the 16th century, the name gained some prominence with the birth of Johann Fischbach (1497-1564), a German Lutheran theologian and author of several religious works. Another notable figure was Hans Fischbach (1540-1609), a German architect and master builder responsible for several churches and castles in the region.
The 17th century saw the birth of Johann Fischbach (1637-1719), a German composer and organist known for his sacred music compositions. In the 18th century, Johann Georg Fischbach (1725-1789) was a notable German painter and engraver, known for his landscapes and portraits.
As the name spread across Germany and into neighboring regions, it also took on various spellings and variations, such as "Fischbacher," "Fischbeck," and "Fischbuch," reflecting regional dialects and linguistic evolutions.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Fischbach
Among Census respondents with the surname Fischbach, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.7%) and Two or More Races (2.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Fischbach 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 Fischbach surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White91.7% · 1,701
- Hispanic or Latino4.7% · 88
- Two or more races2.6% · 49
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9% · 17
Timeline
Historical Census data for Fischbach
Fischbach 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
#14,995
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,970
+68 bearers (+3.6%)
Per 100,000 0.67
Rank movement Down 582 places
2020
#15,231
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,855
-115 bearers (-5.8%)
Per 100,000 0.62
Rank movement Down 236 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #14,413 | 1,902 | 0.71 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #14,995 | 1,970 | 0.67 | +68 bearers (+3.6%) | Down 582 places |
| 2020 | #15,231 | 1,855 | 0.62 | -115 bearers (-5.8%) | Down 236 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 Fischbach 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 | #14,995 | #15,231 | -1.6% |
| Count | 1,970 | 1,855 | -5.8% |
| Per 100K | 0.67 | 0.62 | -7.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Fischbach bearers went from 1,970 to 1,855 (-5.8% change). The surname moved down 236 positions in the national ranking, going from #14,995 to #15,231.
FAQ
Fischbach surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Fischbach?
Name Census estimates that about 2,127 living Americans carry the surname Fischbach. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 161,144 residents.
How common is Fischbach?
Fischbach ranks #15,231 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.62 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 1,855 people with the surname Fischbach. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,127), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.62 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.62 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 Fischbach.
Has Fischbach become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Fischbach went from 1,970 recorded bearers to 1,855. That is a decrease of 115 (-5.8%). In the national ranking it fell from #14,995 to #15,231.
What does the Census say about the background of Fischbach?
Among Census respondents with the surname Fischbach, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.7%) and Two or More Races (2.6%). 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 Fischbach in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.7% (1,701 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Fischbach appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (91.7%), Hispanic (4.7%), Two or More Races (2.6%). 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 Fischbach (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 Fischbach mean?
A German topographic surname referring to someone who lived near a fish brook or stream. 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 Fischbach (0.62 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 Fischbach?
You can see how common the surname Fischbach is on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.