2010
#148,347
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 111
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Fishnick
A surname potentially originating from a geographical location or occupation related to fishing.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 132 Americans carry the last name Fishnick. That puts it at #145,757 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,596,624 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Fishnick 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
132
1 in 2,596,624
Census rank
#145,757
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
115
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 115 bearers of the surname Fishnick in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 145757th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Fishnick, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.2%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (7.0%) and Black (0.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Fishnick
The surname Fishnick has its origins in the Germanic regions of central Europe, emerging in the late medieval period around the 14th century. It is believed to have derived from the Old High German word "fischenāc," which referred to a fishing ground or a place where people engaged in fishing activities.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the Fishnick surname can be found in the Urbarium of Lower Austria, a historical record dating back to the late 14th century. This document mentions a certain "Hainrich Fischenacker," likely a resident of a fishing village or community.
Another early reference to the name appears in the Weingartner Urkunden, a collection of medieval charters and documents from the Weingarten Abbey in southern Germany. Here, a "Hans Fischeneck" is mentioned as a witness to a land transaction in the year 1412.
In the 16th century, the Fishnick surname began to spread across various regions of Europe, including parts of modern-day Germany, Austria, and Switzerland. Notable individuals bearing this name during this time period include Johannes Fischnick (1525-1589), a renowned Lutheran theologian and author from Saxony.
As the centuries progressed, the Fishnick surname continued to evolve and diversify, with variations such as Fischnecker, Fischnik, and Fischnick appearing in various records. One notable figure was Georg Fischnik (1647-1715), a German composer and organist who served at the court of the Elector of Saxony.
In the 19th century, the Fishnick surname made its way to other parts of the world, including North America, where it was often anglicized to variants like Fishnick or Fishnik. One prominent individual from this era was Wilhelm Fishnick (1837-1912), a German-American engineer and inventor who held several patents for innovative machinery designs.
Other notable figures with the Fishnick surname include Hans Fischnick (1895-1976), a German architect and urban planner known for his work in the reconstruction of Berlin after World War II, and Klara Fischnick (1901-1989), an Austrian opera singer who performed extensively in Europe and the United States.
While the Fishnick surname may not be among the most common today, its rich history and evolution across centuries and continents serve as a testament to the diverse cultural tapestry woven by surnames and their origins.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Fishnick
Among Census respondents with the surname Fishnick, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.2%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (7.0%) and Black (0.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Fishnick 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 Fishnick surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White92.2% · 106
- Two or more races7.0% · 8
- Black or African American0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Fishnick
Fishnick appears in 2 published Census surname files: 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2020
#145,757
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 115
+4 bearers (+3.6%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 2,590 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #148,347 | 111 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #145,757 | 115 | 0.04 | +4 bearers (+3.6%) | Up 2,590 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 Fishnick 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 | #145,757 | 1.7% |
| Count | 111 | 115 | 3.6% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -3.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Fishnick bearers went from 111 to 115 (+3.6% change). The surname moved up 2,590 positions in the national ranking, going from #148,347 to #145,757.
FAQ
Fishnick surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Fishnick?
Name Census estimates that about 132 living Americans carry the surname Fishnick. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,596,624 residents.
How common is Fishnick?
Fishnick ranks #145,757 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 115 people with the surname Fishnick. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (132), 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 Fishnick.
Has Fishnick become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Fishnick went from 111 recorded bearers to 115. That is an increase of 4 (+3.6%). In the national ranking it rose from #148,347 to #145,757.
What does the Census say about the background of Fishnick?
Among Census respondents with the surname Fishnick, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.2%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (7.0%) and Black (0.9%). 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 Fishnick in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.2% (106 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Fishnick appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (92.2%), Two or More Races (7.0%), Black (0.9%). 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 Fishnick (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 Fishnick mean?
A surname potentially originating from a geographical location or occupation related to fishing. 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 Fishnick (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 common is the surname Fishnick?
Our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers how common the surname Fishnick is at a glance, with the living-bearer count up front.