2000
#6,819
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,549
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.69
Rare Last name
Fussell
An English occupational surname for a maker of saddle trees or saddle bows.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 4,977 Americans carry the last name Fussell. That puts it at #7,410 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.45 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 68,868 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Fussell 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.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Fussell with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
5.0K
1 in 68,868
Census rank
#7,410
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.5
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
4.3K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 4,340 bearers of the surname Fussell in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.45 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 7410th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Fussell, the largest self-reported group is White at 78.5%. The next largest groups are Black (13.5%) and Hispanic (3.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Fussell
The surname Fussell is of English origin, deriving from the Old English words "fyrs" meaning furze or gorse, and "hyll" meaning hill or slope. It was initially used as a topographic surname for someone who lived near a furze-covered hill or slope.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, where it appears as "Fyrshill". This suggests that the name was already in use by the late 11th century in parts of England.
During the Middle Ages, the surname was often spelled in various ways, including Furshill, Furssell, and Fursell, reflecting the regional dialects and phonetic variations of the time.
In the 13th century, the Fussell family was well-established in the county of Gloucestershire, with records showing individuals such as William Fursell (born around 1230) and John Furshill (born around 1280) residing in the area.
One notable bearer of the name was Sir John Fussell (1525-1601), a wealthy merchant and member of the Worshipful Company of Drapers in London. He served as Lord Mayor of London in 1592.
Another prominent figure was Philip Fussell (1648-1720), an English politician who served as a Member of Parliament for the constituency of Taunton in Somerset during the late 17th century.
In the literary world, the name is associated with Paul Fussell (1924-2012), an American cultural critic, historian, and professor of English literature. He is best known for his works on World War II and the study of social class.
The Fussell surname has also been carried by notable academics, such as Edwin Sarmiento Fussell (1921-2010), an American botanist and professor at the University of Pennsylvania, and Edwin Fussell (1811-1856), a British artist and engraver renowned for his landscape paintings.
While the surname is predominantly found in England, it has also spread to other parts of the world through migration, with Fussell families settling in countries like the United States, Canada, and Australia over the centuries.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Fussell
Among Census respondents with the surname Fussell, the largest self-reported group is White at 78.5%. The next largest groups are Black (13.5%) and Hispanic (3.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Fussell 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 Fussell surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White78.5% · 3,407
- Black or African American13.5% · 587
- Hispanic or Latino3.7% · 160
- Two or more races3.3% · 144
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.5% · 23
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.4% · 19
Timeline
Historical Census data for Fussell
Fussell 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
#6,974
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,810
+261 bearers (+5.7%)
Per 100,000 1.63
Rank movement Down 155 places
2020
#7,410
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,340
-470 bearers (-9.8%)
Per 100,000 1.45
Rank movement Down 436 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #6,819 | 4,549 | 1.69 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #6,974 | 4,810 | 1.63 | +261 bearers (+5.7%) | Down 155 places |
| 2020 | #7,410 | 4,340 | 1.45 | -470 bearers (-9.8%) | Down 436 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 Fussell 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 | #6,974 | #7,410 | -6.3% |
| Count | 4,810 | 4,340 | -9.8% |
| Per 100K | 1.63 | 1.45 | -10.9% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Fussell bearers went from 4,810 to 4,340 (-9.8% change). The surname moved down 436 positions in the national ranking, going from #6,974 to #7,410.
FAQ
Fussell surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Fussell?
Name Census estimates that about 4,977 living Americans carry the surname Fussell. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 68,868 residents.
How common is Fussell?
Fussell ranks #7,410 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.45 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 4,340 people with the surname Fussell. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (4,977), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.45 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.45 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 Fussell.
Has Fussell become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Fussell went from 4,810 recorded bearers to 4,340. That is a decrease of 470 (-9.8%). In the national ranking it fell from #6,974 to #7,410.
What does the Census say about the background of Fussell?
Among Census respondents with the surname Fussell, the largest self-reported group is White at 78.5%. The next largest groups are Black (13.5%) and Hispanic (3.7%). 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 Fussell in the 2020 Census, accounting for 78.5% (3,407 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Fussell appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (78.5%), Black (13.5%), Hispanic (3.7%). 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 Fussell (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 Fussell mean?
An English occupational surname for a maker of saddle trees or saddle bows. 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 Fussell (1.45 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 Fussell?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.