Find out how popular the last name Fister is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Fister.

Fister, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Fister surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Fister in America

Fister is the 20529th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Fister surname appeared 1,292 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 people would have the surname Fister.

We can also compare 2010 data for Fister to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name Fister

The surname Fister has its origins in Germany, where it first emerged in the 14th century. It is believed to be derived from the German word "fist," which means "fist" or "hand." This suggests that the name may have been given to someone who had a physical characteristic related to their hands, such as a large or strong fist.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the Fister surname can be found in the town records of Augsburg, Bavaria, dating back to the late 1300s. Variants of the spelling, such as "Fister" and "Fister," were also found in other parts of southern Germany during this time period.

In the 15th century, the Fister name appeared in various historical documents across the German-speaking regions. For example, a Hans Fister was mentioned in a legal document in Nuremberg in 1462, while a Johannes Fister was recorded as a landowner in the village of Wittelshofen in 1487.

As the centuries progressed, the Fister surname spread across Europe, with notable individuals bearing the name emerging in different countries. One such person was Johann Fister, a German theologian and author who lived from 1572 to 1644 and wrote extensively on religious matters.

In the 18th century, a Johann Georg Fister (1718-1786) gained recognition as a German composer and organist, serving as the court Kapellmeister in Rudolstadt. His works included several operas and instrumental pieces.

Another notable bearer of the Fister surname was Friedrich Fister (1825-1886), a German politician who served as a member of the Reichstag (German parliament) in the late 19th century, representing the National Liberal Party.

In the Netherlands, the Fister name can be traced back to the 17th century, with records showing a Pieter Fister living in Amsterdam in 1642. This suggests that the name had spread from Germany to the Low Countries by this time.

While the Fister surname is not as common as some other German surnames, it has left its mark on history through the contributions of various individuals bearing this name across different fields, including religion, music, politics, and more.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Fister

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Fister.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Fister was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Fister has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Fister was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Fister, please contact us.

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