2000
#7,762
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,947
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.46
Rare Last name
Fleischer
An occupational surname referring to a butcher or one who prepares meat.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 4,294 Americans carry the last name Fleischer. That puts it at #8,463 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.25 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 79,822 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Fleischer 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 Fleischer with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
4.3K
1 in 79,822
Census rank
#8,463
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.3
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
3.7K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 3,745 bearers of the surname Fleischer in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.25 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 8463rd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Fleischer, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.4%) and Two or More Races (3.4%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Fleischer
The surname Fleischer is of German origin, derived from the German word "Fleischer" which means "butcher" or "meat cutter." This occupational surname emerged in the Middle Ages, around the 12th century, and was given to individuals who worked as butchers or meat sellers.
The name can be traced back to various regions of Germany, including Bavaria, Saxony, and Silesia. It is believed that the earliest recorded instances of the name Fleischer appeared in German town and city records, as well as in guild and trade registers from the medieval period.
One of the earliest known references to the name Fleischer can be found in the German city of Cologne, where a man named Johannes Fleischer was recorded in a tax register from the year 1384. Another early example is Hans Fleischer, a butcher from the town of Nuremberg, who was mentioned in a guild record from 1452.
In the 15th century, the surname Fleischer was also found in the Low German regions of northern Germany, where it appeared as "Vlescher" or "Vlesscher." This variation of the name was likely influenced by the Low German dialects spoken in those areas.
Throughout history, there have been several notable individuals who bore the surname Fleischer. One of the earliest was Johann Fleischer, a German printer and publisher who lived in the 16th century (1515-1583). Another was Georg Fleischer, a German mathematician and astronomer from the 17th century (1639-1691).
In the 19th century, a prominent figure with the name Fleischer was Heinrich Leberecht Fleischer, a German orientalist and scholar of Arabic and Persian languages (1801-1888). He made significant contributions to the study of these languages and their literature.
Another notable Fleischer was Richard Fleischer, an American film director who worked in Hollywood from the 1940s to the 1980s (1916-2006). He directed several famous films, including "The Boston Strangler" and "Soylent Green."
Finally, one of the most recent notable individuals with the surname Fleischer was Max Fleischer, an American animator and film producer who co-created the iconic cartoon characters Betty Boop and Popeye (1883-1972). He was a pioneer in the development of animated films and his work left a lasting impact on the animation industry.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Fleischer
Among Census respondents with the surname Fleischer, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.4%) and Two or More Races (3.4%).
The bar chart below shows how Fleischer 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 Fleischer surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White90.1% · 3,373
- Hispanic or Latino4.4% · 165
- Two or more races3.4% · 126
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.0% · 38
- Black or African American0.9% · 34
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 9
Timeline
Historical Census data for Fleischer
Fleischer 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
#8,323
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,981
+34 bearers (+0.9%)
Per 100,000 1.35
Rank movement Down 561 places
2020
#8,463
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,745
-236 bearers (-5.9%)
Per 100,000 1.25
Rank movement Down 140 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #7,762 | 3,947 | 1.46 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #8,323 | 3,981 | 1.35 | +34 bearers (+0.9%) | Down 561 places |
| 2020 | #8,463 | 3,745 | 1.25 | -236 bearers (-5.9%) | Down 140 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 Fleischer 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 | #8,323 | #8,463 | -1.7% |
| Count | 3,981 | 3,745 | -5.9% |
| Per 100K | 1.35 | 1.25 | -7.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Fleischer bearers went from 3,981 to 3,745 (-5.9% change). The surname moved down 140 positions in the national ranking, going from #8,323 to #8,463.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Fleischer
FAQ
Fleischer surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Fleischer?
Name Census estimates that about 4,294 living Americans carry the surname Fleischer. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 79,822 residents.
How common is Fleischer?
Fleischer ranks #8,463 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.25 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 3,745 people with the surname Fleischer. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (4,294), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.25 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.25 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 Fleischer.
Has Fleischer become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Fleischer went from 3,981 recorded bearers to 3,745. That is a decrease of 236 (-5.9%). In the national ranking it fell from #8,323 to #8,463.
What does the Census say about the background of Fleischer?
Among Census respondents with the surname Fleischer, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.4%) and Two or More Races (3.4%). 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 Fleischer in the 2020 Census, accounting for 90.1% (3,373 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Fleischer appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (90.1%), Hispanic (4.4%), Two or More Races (3.4%). 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 Fleischer (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 Fleischer mean?
An occupational surname referring to a butcher or one who prepares meat. 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 Fleischer (1.25 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 Fleischer?
For a quick modern take, check how many people are called Fleischer on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org.