2000
#419
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 70,095
First available Census row
Per 100,000 25.98
Uncommon Last name
Fischer
An occupational surname referring to a fisherman or one who catches or sells fish.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 80,857 Americans carry the last name Fischer. That puts it at #460 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 23.59 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 4,239 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Fischer 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.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Fischer with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
81K
1 in 4,239
Census rank
#460
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
23.6
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
71K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 70,511 bearers of the surname Fischer in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 23.59 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 460th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Fischer, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.7%) and Two or More Races (2.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Fischer
The surname Fischer is of German origin, deriving from the Middle High German word "vischer," meaning fisherman. It first emerged in regions of Germany where fishing was a common occupation, such as along the rivers and coasts.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Fischer can be found in the Codex Diplomaticus Silesiae, a collection of historical documents from the region of Silesia, dating back to the 13th century. The name was spelled "Vischer" at the time.
In the 14th century, the surname Fischer appeared in various town records and chronicles across German-speaking areas. For instance, a certain Hans Fischer was mentioned in the municipal records of the city of Nuremberg in 1365.
During the Middle Ages, many individuals with the surname Fischer were likely involved in the fishing trade or lived in close proximity to bodies of water. However, as surnames became hereditary, the name was passed down through generations, even if the family's occupation changed.
One notable bearer of the name was Johann Fischer, a German composer and music theorist who lived from 1646 to 1716. He was known for his contributions to the development of the thorough-bass system, which was a crucial step in the evolution of modern harmonic theory.
Another prominent figure was Paul Fischer, a German architect and urban planner who lived from 1835 to 1900. He was responsible for designing several notable buildings in Berlin, including the Reichstag building, which houses the German parliament.
In the 19th century, the surname Fischer was also associated with the Fischer von Erlach family, a renowned Austrian family of architects and sculptors. Johann Bernhard Fischer von Erlach (1656-1723) was a celebrated Baroque architect who designed numerous churches and palaces in Vienna.
Additionally, the name Fischer has been linked to several places throughout Germany, such as the town of Fischern in Bavaria, which likely derived its name from the profession of fishing.
Over the centuries, the surname Fischer has been found across various German-speaking regions, including Austria, Switzerland, and parts of Eastern Europe where German communities settled. It remains a common surname in these areas today.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Fischer
Among Census respondents with the surname Fischer, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.7%) and Two or More Races (2.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Fischer 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 Fischer surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White91.4% · 64,482
- Hispanic or Latino3.7% · 2,605
- Two or more races2.7% · 1,929
- Black or African American0.9% · 669
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 557
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.4% · 269
Timeline
Historical Census data for Fischer
Fischer 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
#455
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 72,357
+2,262 bearers (+3.2%)
Per 100,000 24.53
Rank movement Down 36 places
2020
#460
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 70,511
-1,846 bearers (-2.6%)
Per 100,000 23.59
Rank movement Down 5 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #419 | 70,095 | 25.98 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #455 | 72,357 | 24.53 | +2,262 bearers (+3.2%) | Down 36 places |
| 2020 | #460 | 70,511 | 23.59 | -1,846 bearers (-2.6%) | Down 5 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 Fischer 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 | #455 | #460 | -1.1% |
| Count | 72,357 | 70,511 | -2.6% |
| Per 100K | 24.53 | 23.59 | -3.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Fischer bearers went from 72,357 to 70,511 (-2.6% change). The surname moved down 5 positions in the national ranking, going from #455 to #460.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Fischer
FAQ
Fischer surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Fischer?
Name Census estimates that about 80,857 living Americans carry the surname Fischer. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 4,239 residents.
How common is Fischer?
Fischer ranks #460 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 23.59 per 100,000 residents, which is about 24 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 70,511 people with the surname Fischer. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (80,857), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 23.59 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 23.59 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 24 of them to have the surname Fischer.
Has Fischer become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Fischer went from 72,357 recorded bearers to 70,511. That is a decrease of 1,846 (-2.6%). In the national ranking it fell from #455 to #460.
What does the Census say about the background of Fischer?
Among Census respondents with the surname Fischer, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.7%) and Two or More Races (2.7%). 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 Fischer in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.4% (64,482 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Fischer appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (91.4%), Hispanic (3.7%), Two or More Races (2.7%). 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 Fischer (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 Fischer mean?
An occupational surname referring to a fisherman or one who catches or sells fish. 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 Fischer (23.59 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 Americans have the surname Fischer?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.