2000
#6,649
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,689
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.74
Rare Last name
Fenn
Derived from Old English, denoting a person living near a marsh or low-lying wetland.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 5,593 Americans carry the last name Fenn. That puts it at #6,652 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.63 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 61,283 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Fenn 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 Fenn with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
5.6K
1 in 61,283
Census rank
#6,652
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.6
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
4.9K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 4,877 bearers of the surname Fenn in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.63 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 6652nd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Fenn, the largest self-reported group is White at 82.2%. The next largest groups are Black (8.7%) and Hispanic (4.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Fenn
The surname Fenn is of English origin, derived from the Old English word "fenn," which means "marsh" or "fen." This name was likely adopted by individuals who lived near or worked in marshy areas.
The earliest recorded instances of the name Fenn can be traced back to the late 12th century in various English counties, including Norfolk, Suffolk, and Essex, where marshlands were prevalent. The Domesday Book, a comprehensive record of landholdings in England compiled in 1086, does not contain any direct references to the surname Fenn, but it does mention several place names with the element "fenn," indicating the existence of marshlands in those areas.
One of the earliest known bearers of the name was William de Fenne, who was recorded in the Pipe Rolls of Lincolnshire in 1195. Another early record is that of Robert de la Fenne, mentioned in the Curia Regis Rolls of Hertfordshire in 1221.
Over the centuries, the surname Fenn has been spelled in various ways, including Fenn, Fenne, Fenne, Fen, and Fenn. Some notable individuals with the surname Fenn include Sir John Fenn (1739-1794), an English antiquarian and editor; Elijah Fenton (1683-1730), an English poet and translator; and Robert Fenn (1768-1847), an English artist and engraver.
Other historically significant figures with the surname Fenn include John Fenn (1590-1670), an English clergyman and author; Richard Fenn (1805-1887), an English painter and engraver; and James Fenn (1749-1825), an English artist and illustrator.
It is worth noting that the surname Fenn has also been associated with various place names in England, such as Fennor in Bedfordshire, Fenny Compton in Warwickshire, and Fenwick in Northumberland, further reinforcing its connection to marshy or fen-like areas.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Fenn
Among Census respondents with the surname Fenn, the largest self-reported group is White at 82.2%. The next largest groups are Black (8.7%) and Hispanic (4.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Fenn 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 Fenn surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White82.2% · 4,007
- Black or African American8.7% · 425
- Hispanic or Latino4.0% · 193
- Two or more races3.2% · 155
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.4% · 68
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.6% · 29
Timeline
Historical Census data for Fenn
Fenn 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
#6,548
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,172
+483 bearers (+10.3%)
Per 100,000 1.75
Rank movement Up 101 places
2020
#6,652
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,877
-295 bearers (-5.7%)
Per 100,000 1.63
Rank movement Down 104 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #6,649 | 4,689 | 1.74 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #6,548 | 5,172 | 1.75 | +483 bearers (+10.3%) | Up 101 places |
| 2020 | #6,652 | 4,877 | 1.63 | -295 bearers (-5.7%) | Down 104 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 Fenn 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 | #6,548 | #6,652 | -1.6% |
| Count | 5,172 | 4,877 | -5.7% |
| Per 100K | 1.75 | 1.63 | -6.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Fenn bearers went from 5,172 to 4,877 (-5.7% change). The surname moved down 104 positions in the national ranking, going from #6,548 to #6,652.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Fenn
FAQ
Fenn surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Fenn?
Name Census estimates that about 5,593 living Americans carry the surname Fenn. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 61,283 residents.
How common is Fenn?
Fenn ranks #6,652 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.63 per 100,000 residents, which is about 2 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 4,877 people with the surname Fenn. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (5,593), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.63 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.63 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 2 of them to have the surname Fenn.
Has Fenn become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Fenn went from 5,172 recorded bearers to 4,877. That is a decrease of 295 (-5.7%). In the national ranking it fell from #6,548 to #6,652.
What does the Census say about the background of Fenn?
Among Census respondents with the surname Fenn, the largest self-reported group is White at 82.2%. The next largest groups are Black (8.7%) and Hispanic (4.0%). 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 Fenn in the 2020 Census, accounting for 82.2% (4,007 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Fenn appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (82.2%), Black (8.7%), Hispanic (4.0%). 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 Fenn (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 Fenn mean?
Derived from Old English, denoting a person living near a marsh or low-lying wetland. 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 Fenn (1.63 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 last name Fenn?
Our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers how many Americans have the surname Fenn at a glance, with the living-bearer count up front.