2000
#7,826
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,921
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.45
Rare Last name
Fiske
From an Old Norse nickname meaning "fish," likely referring to a fisherman or someone who lived near a fish market.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 4,321 Americans carry the last name Fiske. That puts it at #8,419 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.26 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 79,323 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Fiske 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 Fiske with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
4.3K
1 in 79,323
Census rank
#8,419
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.3
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
3.8K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 3,768 bearers of the surname Fiske in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.26 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 8419th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Fiske, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.6%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.6%) and Hispanic (3.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Fiske
The surname Fiske has its origins in England, derived from the Old English word "fisc," meaning "fish." It was likely an occupational surname given to someone who worked as a fisherman or fish monger.
The name can be traced back to the Domesday Book of 1086, where it appears as "Fische" in Cambridgeshire and Suffolk. This early record indicates that the name was present in East Anglia, an area known for its fishing industry.
In the 13th century, the name was found in various spellings, such as "Fisk," "Fisk," and "Fisshe," reflecting the variations in pronunciation and spelling during that period.
One of the earliest recorded individuals with the surname was Robert Fiske, who was mentioned in the Subsidy Rolls of Worcestershire in 1327.
The name Fiske was also associated with several prominent individuals throughout history. One notable figure was William Fiske (1612-1676), who was one of the founders of the town of Wenham, Massachusetts, in the early days of the Massachusetts Bay Colony.
Another prominent bearer of the name was John Fiske (1842-1901), an American philosopher, historian, and writer, best known for his works on American history and philosophy.
In the 19th century, the Fiske family gained prominence in the United States, with members such as Willard Fiske (1831-1904), a renowned scholar and book collector, whose collection formed the basis of the Fiske Icelandic Collection at Cornell University.
The name Fiske was also associated with a place name, Fiskedale, found in the Domesday Book as "Fiskedale" in Yorkshire, which likely contributed to the development of the surname in that region.
Other notable individuals with the surname Fiske include Thomas Fiske (1792-1846), an English playwright and novelist, and John Fiske (1776-1865), an American educator and founder of the Fiske Free Library in Wrentham, Massachusetts.
Throughout its history, the surname Fiske has maintained its connection to the occupation of fishing and has been borne by individuals from various walks of life, leaving a lasting impact in their respective fields.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Fiske
Among Census respondents with the surname Fiske, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.6%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.6%) and Hispanic (3.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Fiske 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 Fiske surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White90.6% · 3,413
- Two or more races3.6% · 137
- Hispanic or Latino3.6% · 134
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.0% · 36
- Black or African American0.8% · 29
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.5% · 19
Timeline
Historical Census data for Fiske
Fiske 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
#8,060
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,110
+189 bearers (+4.8%)
Per 100,000 1.39
Rank movement Down 234 places
2020
#8,419
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,768
-342 bearers (-8.3%)
Per 100,000 1.26
Rank movement Down 359 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #7,826 | 3,921 | 1.45 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #8,060 | 4,110 | 1.39 | +189 bearers (+4.8%) | Down 234 places |
| 2020 | #8,419 | 3,768 | 1.26 | -342 bearers (-8.3%) | Down 359 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 Fiske 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 | #8,060 | #8,419 | -4.5% |
| Count | 4,110 | 3,768 | -8.3% |
| Per 100K | 1.39 | 1.26 | -9.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Fiske bearers went from 4,110 to 3,768 (-8.3% change). The surname moved down 359 positions in the national ranking, going from #8,060 to #8,419.
FAQ
Fiske surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Fiske?
Name Census estimates that about 4,321 living Americans carry the surname Fiske. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 79,323 residents.
How common is Fiske?
Fiske ranks #8,419 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.26 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 3,768 people with the surname Fiske. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (4,321), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.26 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.26 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 Fiske.
Has Fiske become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Fiske went from 4,110 recorded bearers to 3,768. That is a decrease of 342 (-8.3%). In the national ranking it fell from #8,060 to #8,419.
What does the Census say about the background of Fiske?
Among Census respondents with the surname Fiske, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.6%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.6%) and Hispanic (3.6%). 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 Fiske in the 2020 Census, accounting for 90.6% (3,413 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Fiske appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (90.6%), Two or More Races (3.6%), Hispanic (3.6%). 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 Fiske (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 Fiske mean?
From an Old Norse nickname meaning "fish," likely referring to a fisherman or someone who lived near a fish market. 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 Fiske (1.26 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 surname Fiske?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.