2000
#13,771
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,017
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.75
Rare Last name
Fleisher
An occupational surname for a butcher or one who prepares meat.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,222 Americans carry the last name Fleisher. That puts it at #14,709 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.65 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 154,255 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Fleisher 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
2.2K
1 in 154,255
Census rank
#14,709
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.6
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
1.9K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 1,938 bearers of the surname Fleisher in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.65 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 14709th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Fleisher, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.5%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.0%) and Hispanic (2.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Fleisher
The surname Fleisher has its origins in Germany, tracing back to the Middle Ages. It is derived from the German word 'fleisch', meaning flesh or meat. This suggests that the name likely originated from someone who worked as a butcher or in a related trade involving the preparation or selling of meat.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Fleisher can be found in the town of Nuremberg, Germany, in the 14th century. A document from 1382 mentions a merchant named Hans Fleisher, who dealt in the trade of meat and other foodstuffs.
In the 15th century, the name appears in various records from the region of Bavaria, indicating that families with the surname Fleisher had established themselves in this part of Germany. One notable example is Johann Fleisher, a baker from Munich, who was documented in a guild record from 1462.
As the surname spread across Germany, it underwent various spelling variations, such as Fleischer, Fleischhauer, and Fleischmann. These variations reflect the regional dialects and the evolution of the German language over time.
One of the earliest known instances of the Fleisher surname outside of Germany can be found in the Netherlands. In the 16th century, a merchant named Pieter Fleisher from Amsterdam is mentioned in trade records from the city's archives, dated 1583.
Throughout history, several notable individuals have carried the surname Fleisher. One such example is Jacob Fleisher (1701-1782), a German-born clockmaker who immigrated to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, in the mid-18th century and became renowned for his intricate timepieces.
Another noteworthy figure was Samuel Fleisher (1858-1905), an American philanthropist from Philadelphia who established the Fleisher Art Memorial, one of the nation's first tuition-free art schools, in memory of his parents.
In the field of literature, Charles Fleisher (1875-1946) was an American author and journalist who wrote several notable novels and short stories in the early 20th century.
The name Fleisher also gained prominence in the world of music with the American pianist and conductor Leon Fleisher (1928-2020), who was renowned for his interpretations of works by composers such as Beethoven and Brahms.
Finally, one cannot overlook the contributions of Dr. Robert Fleisher (1923-2008), a pioneering cardiologist who developed groundbreaking techniques for diagnosing and treating heart diseases, including the Fleisher criteria for assessing cardiac risk.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Fleisher
Among Census respondents with the surname Fleisher, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.5%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.0%) and Hispanic (2.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Fleisher 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 Fleisher surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White92.5% · 1,793
- Two or more races3.0% · 58
- Hispanic or Latino2.8% · 55
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.2% · 23
- Black or African American0.3% · 6
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 3
Timeline
Historical Census data for Fleisher
Fleisher 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
#14,495
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,058
+41 bearers (+2.0%)
Per 100,000 0.70
Rank movement Down 724 places
2020
#14,709
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,938
-120 bearers (-5.8%)
Per 100,000 0.65
Rank movement Down 214 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #13,771 | 2,017 | 0.75 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #14,495 | 2,058 | 0.70 | +41 bearers (+2.0%) | Down 724 places |
| 2020 | #14,709 | 1,938 | 0.65 | -120 bearers (-5.8%) | Down 214 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 Fleisher 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 | #14,495 | #14,709 | -1.5% |
| Count | 2,058 | 1,938 | -5.8% |
| Per 100K | 0.70 | 0.65 | -7.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Fleisher bearers went from 2,058 to 1,938 (-5.8% change). The surname moved down 214 positions in the national ranking, going from #14,495 to #14,709.
FAQ
Fleisher surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Fleisher?
Name Census estimates that about 2,222 living Americans carry the surname Fleisher. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 154,255 residents.
How common is Fleisher?
Fleisher ranks #14,709 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.65 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 1,938 people with the surname Fleisher. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,222), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.65 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.65 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 Fleisher.
Has Fleisher become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Fleisher went from 2,058 recorded bearers to 1,938. That is a decrease of 120 (-5.8%). In the national ranking it fell from #14,495 to #14,709.
What does the Census say about the background of Fleisher?
Among Census respondents with the surname Fleisher, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.5%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.0%) 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 Fleisher in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.5% (1,793 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Fleisher appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (92.5%), Two or More Races (3.0%), 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 Fleisher (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 Fleisher mean?
An occupational surname for a butcher or one who prepares meat. 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 Fleisher (0.65 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 share the surname Fleisher?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.