2000
#128,797
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 122
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.05
Very Rare Last name
Fogelsong
A German surname meaning "bird song" or "birdsong".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 135 Americans carry the last name Fogelsong. That puts it at #143,511 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,538,921 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Fogelsong 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
135
1 in 2,538,921
Census rank
#143,511
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
118
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 118 bearers of the surname Fogelsong in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 143511th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Fogelsong, the largest self-reported group is White at 98.3%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (1.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Fogelsong
The surname Fogelsong has its origins in the German language, with its earliest recorded instances dating back to the 16th century in the region of Bavaria. The name is derived from the combination of two Middle High German words, "vogel" meaning "bird" and "sanc" or "sang" meaning "song." This suggests that the name may have initially referred to a person who enjoyed birdwatching or had a melodious singing voice akin to that of a songbird.
One of the earliest recorded individuals bearing this surname was Hans Fogelsong, a farmer from the village of Oberammergau, who is mentioned in a land registry from 1587. Another early record can be found in the town of Rothenburg ob der Tauber, where a certain Katharina Fogelsong is listed in the local parish records as having been born in 1603.
Throughout the 17th and 18th centuries, the name appears to have spread across various German-speaking regions, with variations in spelling such as Fogelsang, Vogelsang, and Vogelgesang. Notable individuals from this period include Johann Fogelsong (1657-1721), a prominent clockmaker from Nuremberg, and Anna Maria Fogelsang (1688-1768), a poet and author from Augsburg.
As German immigrants began to settle in the United States in the 19th century, the surname Fogelsong became more widespread. One of the earliest recorded instances is that of Johann Fogelsong (1793-1867), a farmer from Baden who settled in Pennsylvania in 1822. Another notable figure was Friedrich Vogelsang (1814-1892), a philosopher and social reformer from Saxony who advocated for workers' rights and influenced the early labor movement in Germany.
In the 20th century, the name continued to be carried by individuals from diverse backgrounds. Notable examples include Ernest Fogelsong (1901-1987), an American baseball player who played for the Philadelphia Athletics, and Joanna Fogelsong (1920-2003), a renowned opera singer from Austria who performed widely in Europe and the United States.
Throughout its history, the surname Fogelsong has maintained a strong connection to its German linguistic roots, evoking imagery of songbirds and melodious voices. While its prevalence may have fluctuated over time, it remains a distinctive surname that carries a rich cultural heritage.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Fogelsong
Among Census respondents with the surname Fogelsong, the largest self-reported group is White at 98.3%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (1.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Fogelsong 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 Fogelsong surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White98.3% · 116
- Two or more races1.7% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Fogelsong
Fogelsong 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
#130,610
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 130
+8 bearers (+6.6%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 1,813 places
2020
#143,511
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 118
-12 bearers (-9.2%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 12,901 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #128,797 | 122 | 0.05 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #130,610 | 130 | 0.04 | +8 bearers (+6.6%) | Down 1,813 places |
| 2020 | #143,511 | 118 | 0.04 | -12 bearers (-9.2%) | Down 12,901 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 Fogelsong 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 | #130,610 | #143,511 | -9.9% |
| Count | 130 | 118 | -9.2% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -1.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Fogelsong bearers went from 130 to 118 (-9.2% change). The surname moved down 12,901 positions in the national ranking, going from #130,610 to #143,511.
FAQ
Fogelsong surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Fogelsong?
Name Census estimates that about 135 living Americans carry the surname Fogelsong. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,538,921 residents.
How common is Fogelsong?
Fogelsong ranks #143,511 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 118 people with the surname Fogelsong. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (135), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.04 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Fogelsong.
Has Fogelsong become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Fogelsong went from 130 recorded bearers to 118. That is a decrease of 12 (-9.2%). In the national ranking it fell from #130,610 to #143,511.
What does the Census say about the background of Fogelsong?
Among Census respondents with the surname Fogelsong, the largest self-reported group is White at 98.3%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (1.7%). 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 Fogelsong in the 2020 Census, accounting for 98.3% (116 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Fogelsong appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (98.3%), Two or More Races (1.7%). 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 Fogelsong (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 Fogelsong mean?
A German surname meaning "bird song" or "birdsong". 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 Fogelsong (0.04 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 Fogelsong?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.