2000
#136,783
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 113
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Fyten
A variant spelling of the English surname "Fitt" or "Fitt(e)", derived from the Middle English word "fitt" meaning combat or contest.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 118 Americans carry the last name Fyten. That puts it at #154,182 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.03 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,904,698 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Fyten 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
118
1 in 2,904,698
Census rank
#154,182
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
103
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 103 bearers of the surname Fyten in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.03 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 154182nd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Fyten, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (7.8%) and Two or More Races (2.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Fyten
The surname FYTEN has its origins in the Netherlands and is believed to have emerged during the early 16th century. It is derived from the Dutch word "vijten," which means "to scold" or "to reproach." This suggests that the name may have originally been given as a nickname or descriptive term for someone with a tendency to criticize or reprimand others.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname FYTEN can be found in the municipal records of the city of Amsterdam, where a certain Pieter Fyten is mentioned as a resident in the year 1532. Another early reference to the name appears in the baptismal records of the Reformed Church in the town of Hoorn, where a child named Janneke Fyten was baptized in 1587.
In the 17th century, the name FYTEN appeared in various historical documents across the Netherlands. For example, a merchant named Dirck Fyten is recorded as having traded goods between Amsterdam and the Dutch East Indies in the 1640s. Additionally, a renowned painter named Pieter Fyten, born in 1621 in Delft, is known for his landscapes and still-life paintings, which can be found in several Dutch museums.
During the 18th century, the FYTEN surname spread to other parts of Europe, particularly Germany and the German-speaking regions of the Holy Roman Empire. A notable figure from this period was Johann Fyten, a German philosopher and theologian born in 1712 in Saxony, who wrote extensively on the relationship between reason and faith.
As the Netherlands and other European nations began to establish colonies and settlements in various parts of the world, the FYTEN surname also found its way to other continents. One example is Adriaan Fyten, a Dutch settler who arrived in Cape Town, South Africa, in the late 18th century and played a role in the early development of the Cape Colony.
In the 19th century, several individuals bearing the FYTEN surname achieved recognition in various fields. For instance, Cornelis Fyten, a Dutch botanist born in 1825, made significant contributions to the study of plant taxonomy and classification. Another notable figure was Marie Fyten, a Belgian author and feminist activist born in 1878, who campaigned for women's rights and published several novels and essays.
Throughout history, the FYTEN surname has been associated with various occupations and professions, reflecting the diverse backgrounds and experiences of those who bore this name. While the name may have originated as a descriptive term for a critical or scolding person, it has since evolved to encompass a rich tapestry of individuals and their contributions to society.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Fyten
Among Census respondents with the surname Fyten, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (7.8%) and Two or More Races (2.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Fyten 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 Fyten surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White88.3% · 91
- Hispanic or Latino7.8% · 8
- Two or more races2.9% · 3
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.0% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Fyten
Fyten 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
#141,140
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 118
+5 bearers (+4.4%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 4,357 places
2020
#154,182
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 103
-15 bearers (-12.7%)
Per 100,000 0.03
Rank movement Down 13,042 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #136,783 | 113 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #141,140 | 118 | 0.04 | +5 bearers (+4.4%) | Down 4,357 places |
| 2020 | #154,182 | 103 | 0.03 | -15 bearers (-12.7%) | Down 13,042 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 Fyten 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 | #141,140 | #154,182 | -9.2% |
| Count | 118 | 103 | -12.7% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.03 | -13.9% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Fyten bearers went from 118 to 103 (-12.7% change). The surname moved down 13,042 positions in the national ranking, going from #141,140 to #154,182.
FAQ
Fyten surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Fyten?
Name Census estimates that about 118 living Americans carry the surname Fyten. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,904,698 residents.
How common is Fyten?
Fyten ranks #154,182 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.03 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 103 people with the surname Fyten. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (118), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.03 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.03 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 Fyten.
Has Fyten become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Fyten went from 118 recorded bearers to 103. That is a decrease of 15 (-12.7%). In the national ranking it fell from #141,140 to #154,182.
What does the Census say about the background of Fyten?
Among Census respondents with the surname Fyten, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (7.8%) and Two or More Races (2.9%). 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 Fyten in the 2020 Census, accounting for 88.3% (91 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Fyten appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (88.3%), Hispanic (7.8%), Two or More Races (2.9%). 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 Fyten (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 Fyten mean?
A variant spelling of the English surname "Fitt" or "Fitt(e)", derived from the Middle English word "fitt" meaning combat or contest. 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 Fyten (0.03 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 Fyten?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.