Explore the Family Name Fahnestock
The meaning of Fahnestock
Altered form of North German Fahrenstück: topographic name either from Middle Low German vor(n) ‘swamp, bog’, or from the fused preposition and definite article vorn ‘before the, in front of the’ + Middle High German stück ‘piece (of land), field’. In German, Fahnestock means literally ‘flag pole’. The surname Fahrenstück is very rare in Germany. History: Johann Diedrich Fahrenstück arrived in 1726 in New York from Hagen, Germany. From the second generation onward, the name has been conventionally spelled as Fahnestock, after a variety of spellings of the name in early colonial records.
Dictionary of American Family Names, 2nd edition, © Oxford University Press, 2022.
How common is the last name Fahnestock in the United States?
Based on the Decennial U.S. Census data, the surname Fahnestock had a slight increase in popularity between 2000 and 2010. In 2000, Fahnestock was ranked 17,960th in terms of commonality, but by 2010 it had moved up to 18,724th, reflecting a change of -4.25 percent. The total count of individuals bearing this surname also increased from 1,434 in 2000 to 1,467 in 2010, marking an uptick of 2.3 percent. However, the proportion per 100,000 people decreased slightly from 0.53 to 0.5, representing a decline of 5.66 percent.
| 2000 | 2010 | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #17,960 | #18,724 | -4.25% |
| Count | 1,434 | 1,467 | 2.3% |
| Proportion per 100k | 0.53 | 0.5 | -5.66% |
Race and Ethnicity of people with the last name Fahnestock
The ethnic identity associated with the surname Fahnestock also experienced changes during the same period, as illustrated by the Decennial U.S. Census data. The percentage identifying as Asian/Pacific Islander rose by 55.71 percent from 0.70 to 1.09, and those claiming two or more races increased by 64.84 percent from 0.91 to 1.50. Meanwhile, the proportion of individuals identifying as White dropped by 2.32 percent from 97.91 to 95.64. The percentage identifying as Hispanic saw the most dramatic rise, jumping by 271.43 percent from 0.35 to 1.30. There were no recorded changes in the Black or American Indian and Alaskan Native categories.
| 2000 | 2010 | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| White | 97.91% | 95.64% | -2.32% |
| Two or More Races | 0.91% | 1.5% | 64.84% |
| Hispanic | 0.35% | 1.3% | 271.43% |
| Asian/Pacific Islander | 0.7% | 1.09% | 55.71% |
| Black | 0% | 0% | 0% |
| American Indian and Alaskan Native | 0% | 0% | 0% |