2000
#5,702
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,578
First available Census row
Per 100,000 2.07
Rare Last name
Fite
An English occupational surname denoting a person who bred or trained dogs for hunting or one who enjoyed fighting.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 6,243 Americans carry the last name Fite. That puts it at #6,061 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.82 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 54,902 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Fite 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
6.2K
1 in 54,902
Census rank
#6,061
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.8
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
5.4K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 5,444 bearers of the surname Fite in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.82 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 6061st position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Fite, the largest self-reported group is White at 81.5%. The next largest groups are Black (8.3%) and Two or More Races (5.1%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Fite
The surname FITE has its origins in England, tracing back to the late 12th century. It is believed to have derived from the Old English word "fihtan," meaning "to fight" or "to struggle." This suggests that the name may have initially been an occupational surname, given to those who were fighters, soldiers, or warriors.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name FITE can be found in the Pipe Rolls of Leicestershire from the year 1190, where a person named Robert Fite is mentioned. The surname is also found in the Hundredorum Rolls of Norfolk from 1273, which lists a Galfridus Fite among its entries.
During the medieval period, the FITE surname was predominantly concentrated in the counties of Leicestershire, Norfolk, and Suffolk in the East Midlands and East Anglia regions of England. Variations in spelling, such as Fyte and Fight, were also common during this time.
Notable individuals bearing the FITE surname include John Fite, a landowner in Leicestershire who lived in the late 14th century. Records from the Court of Common Pleas in 1399 mention a legal dispute involving John Fite over the ownership of land in the village of Thurcaston.
Another prominent figure was William Fite, a merchant and alderman in the city of Norwich, who was born around 1520 and died in 1586. He was a respected member of the local community and served as the Mayor of Norwich in 1574.
In the 17th century, a family of FITEs resided in the village of Bucklesham, Suffolk. Richard Fite, born in 1612, was a successful farmer and landowner in the area. His son, also named Richard Fite (1643-1711), followed in his footsteps and became a prominent figure in the local community.
Moving into the 18th century, James Fite (1712-1782) was a notable scholar and clergyman from Leicestershire. He attended Oxford University and later became the Rector of Stoke Golding, where he served for many years.
During the 19th century, the FITE surname gained recognition through the exploits of Sir John Fite (1822-1901), a British explorer and adventurer. He undertook several expeditions to Africa and was one of the first Europeans to document the existence of the Okavango Delta in present-day Botswana.
These examples illustrate the longstanding presence of the FITE surname in various parts of England, spanning several centuries and encompassing individuals from diverse backgrounds, including landowners, merchants, clergymen, and explorers.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Fite
Among Census respondents with the surname Fite, the largest self-reported group is White at 81.5%. The next largest groups are Black (8.3%) and Two or More Races (5.1%).
The bar chart below shows how Fite 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 Fite surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White81.5% · 4,435
- Black or African American8.3% · 453
- Two or more races5.1% · 276
- Hispanic or Latino3.6% · 195
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.1% · 62
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.4% · 23
Timeline
Historical Census data for Fite
Fite 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
#6,066
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,656
+78 bearers (+1.4%)
Per 100,000 1.92
Rank movement Down 364 places
2020
#6,061
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,444
-212 bearers (-3.7%)
Per 100,000 1.82
Rank movement Up 5 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #5,702 | 5,578 | 2.07 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #6,066 | 5,656 | 1.92 | +78 bearers (+1.4%) | Down 364 places |
| 2020 | #6,061 | 5,444 | 1.82 | -212 bearers (-3.7%) | Up 5 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 Fite 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 | #6,066 | #6,061 | 0.1% |
| Count | 5,656 | 5,444 | -3.7% |
| Per 100K | 1.92 | 1.82 | -5.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Fite bearers went from 5,656 to 5,444 (-3.7% change). The surname moved up 5 positions in the national ranking, going from #6,066 to #6,061.
FAQ
Fite surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Fite?
Name Census estimates that about 6,243 living Americans carry the surname Fite. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 54,902 residents.
How common is Fite?
Fite ranks #6,061 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.82 per 100,000 residents, which is about 2 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 5,444 people with the surname Fite. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (6,243), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.82 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.82 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 2 of them to have the surname Fite.
Has Fite become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Fite went from 5,656 recorded bearers to 5,444. That is a decrease of 212 (-3.7%). In the national ranking it rose from #6,066 to #6,061.
What does the Census say about the background of Fite?
Among Census respondents with the surname Fite, the largest self-reported group is White at 81.5%. The next largest groups are Black (8.3%) and Two or More Races (5.1%). 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 Fite in the 2020 Census, accounting for 81.5% (4,435 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Fite appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (81.5%), Black (8.3%), Two or More Races (5.1%). 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 Fite (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 Fite mean?
An English occupational surname denoting a person who bred or trained dogs for hunting or one who enjoyed fighting. 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 Fite (1.82 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 Americans have the surname Fite?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.