2000
#9,603
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,106
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.15
Rare Last name
Fiscus
An occupational surname for a treasurer or purse-bearer, derived from the Latin word for "treasury" or "purse."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 3,394 Americans carry the last name Fiscus. That puts it at #10,344 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.99 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 100,988 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Fiscus 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
3.4K
1 in 100,988
Census rank
#10,344
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
3.0K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,960 bearers of the surname Fiscus in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.99 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 10344th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Fiscus, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.7%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.0%) and Hispanic (2.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Fiscus
The surname Fiscus is of German origin, derived from the Latin word "fiscus," which means "basket" or "money-bag." This name likely originated in the medieval period, possibly referring to an occupation or trade involving baskets or money bags.
The earliest recorded instances of the name Fiscus can be traced back to the 13th century in various German regions, particularly in areas such as Bavaria and Saxony. The name may have been associated with individuals involved in financial or fiscal matters, or those engaged in basket-making or related crafts.
In the 14th century, the name Fiscus appeared in several historical records, including the Codex Diplomaticus Brandenburgensis, a collection of documents from the former Margraviate of Brandenburg. This suggests that the name had spread to different parts of Germany by that time.
One notable figure with the surname Fiscus was Johann Fiscus (1545-1616), a German Protestant theologian and philosopher who served as a professor at the University of Rostock. He was known for his works on logic and metaphysics.
Another historical figure was Georg Fiscus (1612-1677), a German jurist and legal scholar who served as a judge in the Principality of Anhalt. His contributions to the development of German legal principles were significant during his time.
In the 18th century, Johann Fiscus (1724-1789) was a renowned German mathematician and astronomer. He worked as a professor at the University of Göttingen and made significant contributions to the fields of calculus and celestial mechanics.
The surname Fiscus also appeared in various place names and toponyms across Germany, such as Fiscushausen and Fiscusheide, which further reinforced its connection to specific regions and localities.
It is worth noting that the name Fiscus underwent slight variations in spelling over time, including Fischuss, Fiskus, and Fiskuss, reflecting regional linguistic differences and orthographic conventions of the time.
While the surname Fiscus is not among the most common in Germany today, it has a rich historical background rooted in the country's medieval and early modern periods, with connections to various occupations, professions, and geographical locations.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Fiscus
Among Census respondents with the surname Fiscus, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.7%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.0%) and Hispanic (2.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Fiscus 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 Fiscus surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White92.7% · 2,743
- Two or more races3.0% · 90
- Hispanic or Latino2.6% · 77
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.7% · 21
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 18
- Black or African American0.4% · 11
Timeline
Historical Census data for Fiscus
Fiscus 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
#10,373
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,106
+0 bearers (+0.0%)
Per 100,000 1.05
Rank movement Down 770 places
2020
#10,344
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,960
-146 bearers (-4.7%)
Per 100,000 0.99
Rank movement Up 29 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #9,603 | 3,106 | 1.15 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #10,373 | 3,106 | 1.05 | +0 bearers (+0.0%) | Down 770 places |
| 2020 | #10,344 | 2,960 | 0.99 | -146 bearers (-4.7%) | Up 29 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 Fiscus 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 | #10,373 | #10,344 | 0.3% |
| Count | 3,106 | 2,960 | -4.7% |
| Per 100K | 1.05 | 0.99 | -5.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Fiscus bearers went from 3,106 to 2,960 (-4.7% change). The surname moved up 29 positions in the national ranking, going from #10,373 to #10,344.
FAQ
Fiscus surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Fiscus?
Name Census estimates that about 3,394 living Americans carry the surname Fiscus. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 100,988 residents.
How common is Fiscus?
Fiscus ranks #10,344 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.99 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 2,960 people with the surname Fiscus. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (3,394), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.99 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.99 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 Fiscus.
Has Fiscus become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Fiscus went from 3,106 recorded bearers to 2,960. That is a decrease of 146 (-4.7%). In the national ranking it rose from #10,373 to #10,344.
What does the Census say about the background of Fiscus?
Among Census respondents with the surname Fiscus, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.7%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.0%) and Hispanic (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 Fiscus in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.7% (2,743 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Fiscus appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (92.7%), Two or More Races (3.0%), Hispanic (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 Fiscus (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 Fiscus mean?
An occupational surname for a treasurer or purse-bearer, derived from the Latin word for "treasury" or "purse." 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 Fiscus (0.99 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 Fiscus?
See how many people have the surname Fiscus on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.