2000
#42,912
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 475
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.18
Very Rare Last name
Fussner
A German surname derived from "fußner", meaning one living at the foot of a mountain or hill.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 527 Americans carry the last name Fussner. That puts it at #49,411 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.15 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 650,388 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Fussner 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
527
1 in 650,388
Census rank
#49,411
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.2
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
460
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 460 bearers of the surname Fussner in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.15 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 49411th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Fussner, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.9%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.6%) and Hispanic (2.4%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Fussner
The surname Fussner is believed to have originated in Germany during the 14th century. It is derived from the German word "Fuss," which means foot, and the suffix "-ner," which indicates an occupation or place of origin. This suggests that the name may have initially referred to someone who worked with feet, such as a shoemaker or a foot soldier.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the Fussner name can be found in the Neustettin parish records from 1374, which mention a Hans Fussner. Another early reference is in the town of Nuremberg, where a Konrad Fussner is listed in the city's tax records from 1423.
The Fussner name also appears in various historical documents from the 16th and 17th centuries, including the chronicles of the city of Rothenburg ob der Tauber, which mention a family of Fussners who were influential citizens and merchants in the town during that period.
Notable individuals with the Fussner surname include Johann Friedrich Fussner (1726-1799), a German theologian and author who wrote extensively on religious topics. Another notable bearer of the name was Karl Fussner (1865-1934), a German businessman and industrialist who founded the Fussner Machinery Company in Cologne.
In the 19th century, the Fussner name gained prominence in the United States, where several individuals with this surname made significant contributions. One such person was William Fussner (1832-1901), a German-American entrepreneur who established one of the first successful breweries in Philadelphia.
Another notable American Fussner was Edwin Fussner (1878-1962), a prominent architect who designed several landmark buildings in New York City, including the Flatiron Building and the New York Public Library's main branch.
As the Fussner name spread across different regions, various spelling variations emerged, such as Fussner, Fußner, and Fussener. It's worth noting that some of these variations may have originated from different root words or have slightly different meanings, but they are all believed to be related to the original German surname.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Fussner
Among Census respondents with the surname Fussner, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.9%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.6%) and Hispanic (2.4%).
The bar chart below shows how Fussner 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 Fussner surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White93.9% · 432
- Two or more races2.6% · 12
- Hispanic or Latino2.4% · 11
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.7% · 3
- Black or African American0.4% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Fussner
Fussner 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
#45,569
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 469
-6 bearers (-1.3%)
Per 100,000 0.16
Rank movement Down 2,657 places
2020
#49,411
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 460
-9 bearers (-1.9%)
Per 100,000 0.15
Rank movement Down 3,842 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #42,912 | 475 | 0.18 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #45,569 | 469 | 0.16 | -6 bearers (-1.3%) | Down 2,657 places |
| 2020 | #49,411 | 460 | 0.15 | -9 bearers (-1.9%) | Down 3,842 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 Fussner 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 | #45,569 | #49,411 | -8.4% |
| Count | 469 | 460 | -1.9% |
| Per 100K | 0.16 | 0.15 | -3.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Fussner bearers went from 469 to 460 (-1.9% change). The surname moved down 3,842 positions in the national ranking, going from #45,569 to #49,411.
FAQ
Fussner surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Fussner?
Name Census estimates that about 527 living Americans carry the surname Fussner. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 650,388 residents.
How common is Fussner?
Fussner ranks #49,411 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.15 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 460 people with the surname Fussner. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (527), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.15 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.15 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 Fussner.
Has Fussner become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Fussner went from 469 recorded bearers to 460. That is a decrease of 9 (-1.9%). In the national ranking it fell from #45,569 to #49,411.
What does the Census say about the background of Fussner?
Among Census respondents with the surname Fussner, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.9%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.6%) and Hispanic (2.4%). 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 Fussner in the 2020 Census, accounting for 93.9% (432 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Fussner appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (93.9%), Two or More Races (2.6%), Hispanic (2.4%). 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 Fussner (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 Fussner mean?
A German surname derived from "fußner", meaning one living at the foot of a mountain or hill. 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 Fussner (0.15 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 Fussner?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.