2000
#86,657
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 200
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.07
Very Rare Last name
Fassbinder
A surname indicating someone who worked as a cooper or barrel maker.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 211 Americans carry the last name Fassbinder. That puts it at #103,857 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.06 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 1,624,428 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Fassbinder 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
211
1 in 1,624,428
Census rank
#103,857
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
184
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 184 bearers of the surname Fassbinder in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.06 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 103857th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Fassbinder, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (6.0%) and Two or More Races (2.2%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Fassbinder
The surname Fassbinder is of German origin, originating in the medieval period. It is derived from the German words "fass" meaning "barrel" and "binder" meaning "maker" or "cooper". The name would have originally referred to someone who made or repaired barrels.
The earliest known record of the surname Fassbinder dates back to the 13th century in the region of Bavaria, Germany. It is believed that the name first emerged in the town of Nürnberg, which was a center for trade and craftsmanship during the Middle Ages.
Throughout the centuries, variations in spelling occurred, such as Fassbinder, Fassbender, and Fassbindter. These variations were common due to inconsistencies in record-keeping and regional dialects.
In the 16th century, a notable figure with the name Fassbinder was Hans Fassbinder, a master cooper who lived in the city of Augsburg. He was renowned for his expertly crafted barrels, which were used for storing and transporting wine and beer.
Another prominent individual with this surname was Johann Michael Fassbinder, born in 1688 in Würzburg, Germany. He was a highly skilled woodworker and furniture maker, known for his intricate carvings and attention to detail.
In the 19th century, the name Fassbinder gained recognition through the works of the German writer and director Rainer Werner Fassbinder, born in 1945. He was a prolific and influential figure in the New German Cinema movement, renowned for films like "Ali: Fear Eats the Soul" and "The Marriage of Maria Braun".
Other notable individuals with the surname Fassbinder include:
- Hubertus Fassbinder, a German politician born in 1924, who served as the Mayor of Bochum from 1983 to 1994.
- Christa Fassbinder, a German actress born in 1938, who appeared in several films directed by her brother Rainer Werner Fassbinder.
- Gerhard Fassbinder, a German engineer born in 1920, who made significant contributions to the development of automotive technologies.
While the surname Fassbinder is not among the most common in Germany today, it has a rich history rooted in the craftsmanship and trade of barrel-making, a vital industry in medieval and early modern times.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Fassbinder
Among Census respondents with the surname Fassbinder, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (6.0%) and Two or More Races (2.2%).
The bar chart below shows how Fassbinder 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 Fassbinder surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White89.7% · 165
- Hispanic or Latino6.0% · 11
- Two or more races2.2% · 4
- Black or African American1.1% · 2
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.1% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Fassbinder
Fassbinder 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
#86,314
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 216
+16 bearers (+8.0%)
Per 100,000 0.07
Rank movement Up 343 places
2020
#103,857
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 184
-32 bearers (-14.8%)
Per 100,000 0.06
Rank movement Down 17,543 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #86,657 | 200 | 0.07 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #86,314 | 216 | 0.07 | +16 bearers (+8.0%) | Up 343 places |
| 2020 | #103,857 | 184 | 0.06 | -32 bearers (-14.8%) | Down 17,543 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 Fassbinder 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 | #86,314 | #103,857 | -20.3% |
| Count | 216 | 184 | -14.8% |
| Per 100K | 0.07 | 0.06 | -12.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Fassbinder bearers went from 216 to 184 (-14.8% change). The surname moved down 17,543 positions in the national ranking, going from #86,314 to #103,857.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Fassbinder
FAQ
Fassbinder surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Fassbinder?
Name Census estimates that about 211 living Americans carry the surname Fassbinder. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 1,624,428 residents.
How common is Fassbinder?
Fassbinder ranks #103,857 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.06 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 184 people with the surname Fassbinder. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (211), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.06 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.06 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 Fassbinder.
Has Fassbinder become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Fassbinder went from 216 recorded bearers to 184. That is a decrease of 32 (-14.8%). In the national ranking it fell from #86,314 to #103,857.
What does the Census say about the background of Fassbinder?
Among Census respondents with the surname Fassbinder, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (6.0%) and Two or More Races (2.2%). 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 Fassbinder in the 2020 Census, accounting for 89.7% (165 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Fassbinder appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (89.7%), Hispanic (6.0%), Two or More Races (2.2%). 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 Fassbinder (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 Fassbinder mean?
A surname indicating someone who worked as a cooper or barrel maker. 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 Fassbinder (0.06 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 Fassbinder?
Find out how many people have the surname Fassbinder on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.