2000
#12,017
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,385
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.88
Rare Last name
Fuselier
An occupational surname for a soldier armed with a fusil, a type of flintlock musket.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,732 Americans carry the last name Fuselier. That puts it at #12,441 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.80 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 125,459 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Fuselier 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
2.7K
1 in 125,459
Census rank
#12,441
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.8
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.4K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,382 bearers of the surname Fuselier in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.80 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 12441st position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Fuselier, the largest self-reported group is White at 70.9%. The next largest groups are Black (20.6%) and Hispanic (3.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Fuselier
The surname "FUSELIER" originated in France during the medieval period. It is derived from the Old French word "fusel," which means "a spindle for spinning yarn." This suggests that the name likely originated as an occupational surname for someone who worked as a spinner or maker of spindles.
The earliest recorded instances of the surname "FUSELIER" can be found in records from the 14th century in the regions of Normandy and Brittany in northern France. One of the earliest known bearers of this name was Jean Fuselier, who was recorded as a resident of Rouen, Normandy, in 1387.
During the 15th and 16th centuries, the name spread to other parts of France, and variations in spelling emerged, such as "Fuselier," "Fusellier," and "Fuzelier." These variations likely arose due to regional dialects and differences in pronunciation.
One notable historical figure with the surname "FUSELIER" was Antoine Fuselier (1632-1708), a French playwright and librettist who wrote plays and operas in the late 17th century. Another significant individual was Jean-Baptiste Fuselier (1687-1762), a French artist and engraver known for his portraits and religious works.
In the 18th century, the name "FUSELIER" began to appear in historical records outside of France, likely due to migration and immigration. For example, Pierre Fuselier (1737-1810) was a French-born merchant who settled in New Orleans, Louisiana, during the Spanish colonial period.
Another notable bearer of this surname was Louis-Michel Fuselier (1765-1848), a French military officer who served in the Napoleonic Wars and eventually became a general in the French Army.
While the surname "FUSELIER" has its roots in medieval France, it has since spread to other parts of the world, including North America, where it is still found today, although less common than in its country of origin.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Fuselier
Among Census respondents with the surname Fuselier, the largest self-reported group is White at 70.9%. The next largest groups are Black (20.6%) and Hispanic (3.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Fuselier 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 Fuselier surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White70.9% · 1,688
- Black or African American20.6% · 490
- Hispanic or Latino3.9% · 94
- Two or more races3.7% · 87
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 18
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 5
Timeline
Historical Census data for Fuselier
Fuselier 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
#12,072
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,583
+198 bearers (+8.3%)
Per 100,000 0.88
Rank movement Down 55 places
2020
#12,441
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,382
-201 bearers (-7.8%)
Per 100,000 0.80
Rank movement Down 369 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #12,017 | 2,385 | 0.88 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #12,072 | 2,583 | 0.88 | +198 bearers (+8.3%) | Down 55 places |
| 2020 | #12,441 | 2,382 | 0.80 | -201 bearers (-7.8%) | Down 369 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 Fuselier 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 | #12,072 | #12,441 | -3.1% |
| Count | 2,583 | 2,382 | -7.8% |
| Per 100K | 0.88 | 0.80 | -9.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Fuselier bearers went from 2,583 to 2,382 (-7.8% change). The surname moved down 369 positions in the national ranking, going from #12,072 to #12,441.
FAQ
Fuselier surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Fuselier?
Name Census estimates that about 2,732 living Americans carry the surname Fuselier. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 125,459 residents.
How common is Fuselier?
Fuselier ranks #12,441 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.80 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 2,382 people with the surname Fuselier. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,732), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.8 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.80 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 Fuselier.
Has Fuselier become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Fuselier went from 2,583 recorded bearers to 2,382. That is a decrease of 201 (-7.8%). In the national ranking it fell from #12,072 to #12,441.
What does the Census say about the background of Fuselier?
Among Census respondents with the surname Fuselier, the largest self-reported group is White at 70.9%. The next largest groups are Black (20.6%) and Hispanic (3.9%). 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 Fuselier in the 2020 Census, accounting for 70.9% (1,688 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Fuselier appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (70.9%), Black (20.6%), Hispanic (3.9%). 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 Fuselier (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 Fuselier mean?
An occupational surname for a soldier armed with a fusil, a type of flintlock musket. 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 Fuselier (0.80 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 are called Fuselier?
Want to know how many people have the surname Fuselier? HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, puts the living-bearer count front and centre.