2000
#1,753
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 18,740
First available Census row
Per 100,000 6.95
Uncommon Last name
Fitch
A surname of English origin referring to a dweller near a ditch or derived from the Old English word "ficchen," meaning "to fix."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 20,924 Americans carry the last name Fitch. That puts it at #1,933 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 6.10 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 16,381 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Fitch 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 Fitch with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
21K
1 in 16,381
Census rank
#1,933
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
6.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
18K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 18,247 bearers of the surname Fitch in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 6.10 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 1933rd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Fitch, the largest self-reported group is White at 81.4%. The next largest groups are Black (8.5%) and Hispanic (4.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Fitch
The surname Fitch is believed to have originated in England during the medieval period. It is derived from the Old English word "fiche," which means "small deer" or "fawn." This suggests that the name may have initially referred to someone who worked as a deer hunter or poacher.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Fitch can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, which mentions a landowner named Radulfus Fiche in Warwickshire. This suggests that the name had already been established in England by the 11th century.
In the 13th century, records show a Richard Fitch living in Oxfordshire, and a Walter Fitch residing in Cambridgeshire. These early examples demonstrate the name's spread across various regions of England during the Middle Ages.
The surname Fitch has also been associated with various place names throughout history. For instance, the village of Fitch in Herefordshire, England, may have derived its name from the surname, or vice versa.
One notable figure with the surname Fitch was Sir Ralph Fitch, an English merchant and explorer who embarked on a remarkable journey to India and Southeast Asia in the late 16th century (c. 1550-1611). His accounts of these voyages provided valuable insights into the cultures and trade practices of the regions he visited.
Another prominent individual was John Fitch, an American inventor and engineer who is credited with creating one of the first successful steamboats in 1787. He lived from 1743 to 1798 and played a significant role in the development of early steam-powered transportation.
In the realm of literature, Clyde Fitch (1865-1909) was an American playwright and dramatist known for his popular comedies and melodramas, including "The Climbers" and "The Truth."
The name Fitch has also been associated with notable figures in the field of sports. Walter Fitch (1889-1938) was a professional baseball player who played for the New York Giants and the Boston Braves in the early 20th century.
Lastly, one cannot overlook Abigail Fitch (1615-1663), who was among the first female criminals to be executed in the American colonies for witchcraft during the Salem Witch Trials in 1692.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Fitch
Among Census respondents with the surname Fitch, the largest self-reported group is White at 81.4%. The next largest groups are Black (8.5%) and Hispanic (4.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Fitch 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 Fitch surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White81.4% · 14,853
- Black or African American8.5% · 1,559
- Hispanic or Latino4.0% · 727
- Two or more races3.8% · 701
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.5% · 267
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 140
Timeline
Historical Census data for Fitch
Fitch 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
#1,885
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 19,060
+320 bearers (+1.7%)
Per 100,000 6.46
Rank movement Down 132 places
2020
#1,933
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 18,247
-813 bearers (-4.3%)
Per 100,000 6.10
Rank movement Down 48 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #1,753 | 18,740 | 6.95 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #1,885 | 19,060 | 6.46 | +320 bearers (+1.7%) | Down 132 places |
| 2020 | #1,933 | 18,247 | 6.10 | -813 bearers (-4.3%) | Down 48 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 Fitch 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 | #1,885 | #1,933 | -2.5% |
| Count | 19,060 | 18,247 | -4.3% |
| Per 100K | 6.46 | 6.10 | -5.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Fitch bearers went from 19,060 to 18,247 (-4.3% change). The surname moved down 48 positions in the national ranking, going from #1,885 to #1,933.
FAQ
Fitch surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Fitch?
Name Census estimates that about 20,924 living Americans carry the surname Fitch. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 16,381 residents.
How common is Fitch?
Fitch ranks #1,933 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 6.10 per 100,000 residents, which is about 6 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 18,247 people with the surname Fitch. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (20,924), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 6.1 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 6.10 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 6 of them to have the surname Fitch.
Has Fitch become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Fitch went from 19,060 recorded bearers to 18,247. That is a decrease of 813 (-4.3%). In the national ranking it fell from #1,885 to #1,933.
What does the Census say about the background of Fitch?
Among Census respondents with the surname Fitch, the largest self-reported group is White at 81.4%. The next largest groups are Black (8.5%) and Hispanic (4.0%). 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 Fitch in the 2020 Census, accounting for 81.4% (14,853 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Fitch appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (81.4%), Black (8.5%), Hispanic (4.0%). 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 Fitch (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 Fitch mean?
A surname of English origin referring to a dweller near a ditch or derived from the Old English word "ficchen," meaning "to fix." 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 Fitch (6.10 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 Fitch?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.