2000
#137,816
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 112
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Fischenich
A surname of German origin derived from a place name meaning "fish creek."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 135 Americans carry the last name Fischenich. That puts it at #143,511 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,538,921 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Fischenich 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
135
1 in 2,538,921
Census rank
#143,511
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
118
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 118 bearers of the surname Fischenich in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 143511th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Fischenich, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.2%) and Black (0.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Fischenich
The surname Fischenich is of German origin, tracing its roots back to the region of Rheinland-Pfalz in western Germany during the late Middle Ages. The name is derived from the German words "Fisch" meaning fish and "enich" meaning a meadow or pasture, suggesting that the earliest bearers of this name may have lived near a fishing ground or a meadow where fish were caught or processed.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the Fischenich name dates back to the 14th century, when it appeared in the municipal records of the town of Mainz. In these documents, a certain Johannes Fischenich was listed as a landowner and fisherman in the year 1357.
The Fischenich surname also appears in the chronicles of the Hessian town of Marburg, where a family by the name of Fischenich played a prominent role in the local fishing trade during the 15th century. One notable member of this family was Konrad Fischenich, who served as the head of the fishermen's guild in Marburg from 1462 to 1487.
In the 16th century, the Fischenich name spread to other parts of Germany, including the regions of Bavaria and Saxony. One of the earliest recorded instances of the name outside of Rheinland-Pfalz is that of Hans Fischenich, a merchant from the city of Nuremberg who was granted a trading license in 1542.
As the centuries passed, the Fischenich surname continued to be associated with fishing and fish trading, as well as other occupations related to waterways and coastal areas. Notable bearers of the name include Wilhelm Fischenich (1808-1872), a renowned shipbuilder from the city of Hamburg, and Theodor Fischenich (1872-1938), a marine biologist and ichthyologist who made significant contributions to the study of fish species in the North Sea.
Other individuals with the Fischenich surname who left their mark on history include Johann Fischenich (1647-1712), a Catholic priest and theologian who served as the rector of the University of Trier, and Elise Fischenich (1835-1911), a German writer and women's rights activist who campaigned for greater educational opportunities for girls and women in the 19th century.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Fischenich
Among Census respondents with the surname Fischenich, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.2%) and Black (0.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Fischenich 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 Fischenich surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White94.1% · 111
- Hispanic or Latino4.2% · 5
- Black or African American0.8% · 1
- Two or more races0.8% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Fischenich
Fischenich 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
#148,347
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 111
-1 bearers (-0.9%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 10,531 places
2020
#143,511
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 118
+7 bearers (+6.3%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 4,836 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #137,816 | 112 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #148,347 | 111 | 0.04 | -1 bearers (-0.9%) | Down 10,531 places |
| 2020 | #143,511 | 118 | 0.04 | +7 bearers (+6.3%) | Up 4,836 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 Fischenich 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 | #148,347 | #143,511 | 3.3% |
| Count | 111 | 118 | 6.3% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -1.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Fischenich bearers went from 111 to 118 (+6.3% change). The surname moved up 4,836 positions in the national ranking, going from #148,347 to #143,511.
FAQ
Fischenich surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Fischenich?
Name Census estimates that about 135 living Americans carry the surname Fischenich. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,538,921 residents.
How common is Fischenich?
Fischenich ranks #143,511 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 118 people with the surname Fischenich. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (135), 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 Fischenich.
Has Fischenich become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Fischenich went from 111 recorded bearers to 118. That is an increase of 7 (+6.3%). In the national ranking it rose from #148,347 to #143,511.
What does the Census say about the background of Fischenich?
Among Census respondents with the surname Fischenich, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.2%) and Black (0.8%). 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 Fischenich in the 2020 Census, accounting for 94.1% (111 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Fischenich appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (94.1%), Hispanic (4.2%), Black (0.8%). 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 Fischenich (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 Fischenich mean?
A surname of German origin derived from a place name meaning "fish creek." 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 Fischenich (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 many people share the surname Fischenich?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.