2000
#100
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 210,279
First available Census row
Per 100,000 77.95
Common Last name
Fisher
An occupational surname referring to a fisherman or someone who sold fish.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 237,142 Americans carry the last name Fisher. That puts it at #115 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 69.19 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 1,445 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Fisher 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 Fisher with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
237K
1 in 1,445
Census rank
#115
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
69.2
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
207K
common in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 206,799 bearers of the surname Fisher in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 69.19 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 115th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Fisher, the largest self-reported group is White at 80.1%. The next largest groups are Black (11.3%) and Two or More Races (3.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Fisher
The surname Fisher is an occupational name that originated in England. It derives from the Old English word "fiscere," meaning a fisher or someone who catches fish for a living. The name can be traced back to the 11th century, and it was likely first used to identify individuals who worked as fishermen.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the Fisher surname can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, which was a comprehensive survey of landowners and properties in England commissioned by William the Conqueror. The Domesday Book contains references to individuals with the surname Fisher, indicating that the name was already in use by the late 11th century.
During the Middle Ages, the Fisher surname was particularly prevalent in coastal regions of England, such as Cornwall, Devon, and Norfolk, where fishing was a significant industry. However, the name also appeared in other parts of the country, reflecting the mobility of people and the spread of the surname.
In the 13th century, the Fisher surname appeared in various historical records, including the Hundred Rolls of 1273, which were surveys of landholdings conducted by King Edward I. One notable example is William le Fisher, who was recorded as a resident of Gloucestershire in 1275.
Over the centuries, the Fisher surname has been associated with several notable individuals. One of the earliest was John Fisher (c. 1469-1535), an English Catholic bishop, cardinal, and academic who played a significant role in the English Reformation. He was executed by King Henry VIII for refusing to accept the monarch's supremacy over the Church of England.
Another prominent figure with the Fisher surname was Jasper Fisher (c. 1591-1667), an English merchant and writer who published several books on trade and commerce. He was also involved in the establishment of the East India Company and served as its governor from 1658 to 1660.
In the arts, the Fisher surname has been carried by several renowned individuals, such as Mary Frances Kennedy Fisher (1908-1992), an American writer and culinary historian known for her pioneering works on food and travel writing.
Other notable individuals with the Fisher surname include Sir Andrew Fisher (1862-1928), an Australian politician who served as the fifth Prime Minister of Australia, and Sir Geoffrey Fisher (1887-1972), an English bishop who served as the 99th Archbishop of Canterbury from 1945 to 1961.
While the Fisher surname has its roots in England, it has since spread to various parts of the world, including the United States, Canada, Australia, and other English-speaking countries, due to emigration and migration patterns over the centuries.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Fisher
Among Census respondents with the surname Fisher, the largest self-reported group is White at 80.1%. The next largest groups are Black (11.3%) and Two or More Races (3.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Fisher 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 Fisher surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White80.1% · 165,583
- Black or African American11.3% · 23,338
- Two or more races3.9% · 8,153
- Hispanic or Latino3.3% · 6,878
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.7% · 1,452
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 1,395
Timeline
Historical Census data for Fisher
Fisher 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
#112
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 214,703
+4,424 bearers (+2.1%)
Per 100,000 72.79
Rank movement Down 12 places
2020
#115
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 206,799
-7,904 bearers (-3.7%)
Per 100,000 69.19
Rank movement Down 3 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #100 | 210,279 | 77.95 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #112 | 214,703 | 72.79 | +4,424 bearers (+2.1%) | Down 12 places |
| 2020 | #115 | 206,799 | 69.19 | -7,904 bearers (-3.7%) | Down 3 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 Fisher 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 | #112 | #115 | -2.7% |
| Count | 214,703 | 206,799 | -3.7% |
| Per 100K | 72.79 | 69.19 | -4.9% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Fisher bearers went from 214,703 to 206,799 (-3.7% change). The surname moved down 3 positions in the national ranking, going from #112 to #115.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Fisher
FAQ
Fisher surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Fisher?
Name Census estimates that about 237,142 living Americans carry the surname Fisher. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 1,445 residents.
How common is Fisher?
Fisher ranks #115 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Common." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 69.19 per 100,000 residents, which is about 69 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 206,799 people with the surname Fisher. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (237,142), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 69.19 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 69.19 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 69 of them to have the surname Fisher.
Has Fisher become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Fisher went from 214,703 recorded bearers to 206,799. That is a decrease of 7,904 (-3.7%). In the national ranking it fell from #112 to #115.
What does the Census say about the background of Fisher?
Among Census respondents with the surname Fisher, the largest self-reported group is White at 80.1%. The next largest groups are Black (11.3%) and Two or More Races (3.9%). 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 Fisher in the 2020 Census, accounting for 80.1% (165,583 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Fisher appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (80.1%), Black (11.3%), Two or More Races (3.9%). 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 Fisher (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 Fisher mean?
An occupational surname referring to a fisherman or someone who sold 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 Fisher (69.19 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 have the last name Fisher?
If you just want to know how many people are called Fisher, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.