Explore the Family Name Fifer
The meaning of Fifer
1. Americanized form of German Pfeiffer or Pfeifer ‘piper, whistler’, and a variant of the same Jewish (Ashkenazic) surnames. In North America, this surname is also an altered form of various homonymous Slavic adaptations of the German surnames, such as Czech Fajfr and Faifr, Slovenian Pfajfar and Fajfar. 2. Slovenian: from German Pfeiffer or Pfeifer ‘piper, whistler’.
Dictionary of American Family Names, 2nd edition, © Oxford University Press, 2022.
How common is the last name Fifer in the United States?
Based on the Decennial U.S. Census data, the surname Fifer decreased slightly in popularity between 2000 and 2010. In 2000, Fifer was the 9930th most common surname, with a count of 2998, equating to around 1.11 persons per 100,000 population. By 2010, it had slipped to the 10743rd position, with the count dropping marginally to 2971, or approximately 1.01 per 100,000 population. This represents a decrease of about 8.19% in rank and 0.9% in count over a decade.
| 2000 | 2010 | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #9,930 | #10,743 | -8.19% |
| Count | 2,998 | 2,971 | -0.9% |
| Proportion per 100k | 1.11 | 1.01 | -9.01% |
Race and Ethnicity of people with the last name Fifer
Ethnicity-wise, the majority of individuals bearing the Fifer surname identified as White according to the Decennial U.S. Census, although this proportion shrank by 6.12% from 78.12% in 2000 to 73.34% in 2010. The second largest ethnic group within the Fifer surname holders saw an increase, with Black identity rising from 17.75% to 20.16%, a 13.58% growth. Notably, there was significant growth in the number of Fifers identifying as Hispanic (a 142.06% increase) and those reporting two or more ethnicities (an 80.31% rise). However, the percentage of Fifers who identified as Asian/Pacific Islander and American Indian/Alaskan Native both dipped, by 19.4% and 4.42% respectively.
| 2000 | 2010 | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| White | 78.12% | 73.34% | -6.12% |
| Black | 17.75% | 20.16% | 13.58% |
| Hispanic | 1.07% | 2.59% | 142.06% |
| Two or More Races | 1.27% | 2.29% | 80.31% |
| American Indian and Alaskan Native | 1.13% | 1.08% | -4.42% |
| Asian/Pacific Islander | 0.67% | 0.54% | -19.4% |