2000
#5,996
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,289
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.96
Rare Last name
Fix
Derived from the German nickname "Fuchs," meaning "fox," likely referring to a person with red hair or crafty characteristics.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 5,841 Americans carry the last name Fix. That puts it at #6,417 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.70 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 58,681 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Fix 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
5.8K
1 in 58,681
Census rank
#6,417
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
5.1K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 5,094 bearers of the surname Fix in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.70 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 6417th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Fix, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.8%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.5%) and Hispanic (2.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Fix
The surname Fix has its origins in Germany, where it emerged as an occupational name during the Middle Ages. The name is derived from the Middle High German word "ficken," which means "to make, build, or repair." This suggests that the earliest bearers of the name were likely involved in trades such as carpentry, masonry, or other crafts requiring fixing or repairing skills.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the Fix surname can be found in the "Codex Diplomaticus Saxoniae Regiae," a collection of historical documents from the Saxon region of Germany, dating back to the 13th century. In this compilation, a certain "Johannes Ficke" is mentioned as a resident of the town of Meissen in 1298.
The Fix name spread across various regions of Germany throughout the Middle Ages and Renaissance periods. In the 16th century, the name appeared in the town records of Rothenburg ob der Tauber, where a "Hans Fix" was listed as a citizen in 1542.
As the name disseminated across Europe, it underwent various spelling variations, such as Ficks, Fickes, and Ficke. These variations were often influenced by regional dialects and scribal errors in record-keeping.
One notable figure bearing the Fix surname was Johann Baptist Fix (1765-1846), a German Catholic theologian and philosopher. He served as a professor at the University of Freiburg and published several works on religious and philosophical subjects.
Another individual of note was Johann Peter Fix (1873-1950), a German sculptor and artist who specialized in religious statues and monuments. His works can be found in various churches and public spaces throughout Germany and neighboring countries.
In the realm of literature, the Fix surname is associated with the German writer and poet Theodor Fix (1801-1876), who gained recognition for his lyric poetry and contributions to the Romantic movement.
Across the Atlantic, the name also found its way to the United States, where Johann Adam Fix (1732-1806) was among the early German immigrants to settle in Pennsylvania. He and his family established themselves as farmers in the region.
Finally, a more recent historical figure was Lucien Fix (1891-1957), a French politician and diplomat who served as the ambassador to the United States during the 1940s and played a crucial role in establishing the post-World War II alliance between the two countries.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Fix
Among Census respondents with the surname Fix, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.8%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.5%) and Hispanic (2.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Fix 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 Fix surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White91.8% · 4,675
- Two or more races3.5% · 179
- Hispanic or Latino2.8% · 142
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9% · 45
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.5% · 28
- Black or African American0.5% · 25
Timeline
Historical Census data for Fix
Fix 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
#6,431
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,282
-7 bearers (-0.1%)
Per 100,000 1.79
Rank movement Down 435 places
2020
#6,417
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,094
-188 bearers (-3.6%)
Per 100,000 1.70
Rank movement Up 14 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #5,996 | 5,289 | 1.96 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #6,431 | 5,282 | 1.79 | -7 bearers (-0.1%) | Down 435 places |
| 2020 | #6,417 | 5,094 | 1.70 | -188 bearers (-3.6%) | Up 14 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 Fix 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 | #6,431 | #6,417 | 0.2% |
| Count | 5,282 | 5,094 | -3.6% |
| Per 100K | 1.79 | 1.70 | -4.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Fix bearers went from 5,282 to 5,094 (-3.6% change). The surname moved up 14 positions in the national ranking, going from #6,431 to #6,417.
FAQ
Fix surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Fix?
Name Census estimates that about 5,841 living Americans carry the surname Fix. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 58,681 residents.
How common is Fix?
Fix ranks #6,417 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.70 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 5,094 people with the surname Fix. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (5,841), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.7 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.70 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 Fix.
Has Fix become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Fix went from 5,282 recorded bearers to 5,094. That is a decrease of 188 (-3.6%). In the national ranking it rose from #6,431 to #6,417.
What does the Census say about the background of Fix?
Among Census respondents with the surname Fix, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.8%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.5%) and Hispanic (2.8%). 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 Fix in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.8% (4,675 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Fix appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (91.8%), Two or More Races (3.5%), Hispanic (2.8%). 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 Fix (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 Fix mean?
Derived from the German nickname "Fuchs," meaning "fox," likely referring to a person with red hair or crafty characteristics. 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 Fix (1.70 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 last name Fix?
Want to know how many people have the surname Fix? HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, puts the living-bearer count front and centre.