Feist surname: meaning, census count and records | FamilyCrests

The Feist surname

In the 2010 U.S. Census, 3,784 people carried this name — #8,681 among all U.S. surnames, about 1 in every 78,100 people counted. That is up 7% from 3,525 in 2000.

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What the name means

The meaning of the Feist surname

From the German surname for stout people; see feist (“fat”).

From Wiktionary, the free dictionary (en.wiktionary.org) — entry «Feist» (English), by Wiktionary contributors · licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 (creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0) · excerpt, lightly adapted.

In France’s civil register

France’s register of deaths holds 208 people named Feist.

9 of them were born outside France. Those born in France came from 30 départements, most often Bas-Rhin.

Where it concentrates, on the map

Where they were born

Born outside France 9
Bas-Rhin 89
Haut-Rhin 23
Ardèche 14
Paris 11
Gard 8
Seine-Maritime 6
Territoire de Belfort 5
Charente-Maritime 5

Fichier des personnes décédées, INSEE — Licence Ouverte 2.0 · deaths recorded in France since 1970, by place of birth.

In Poland’s population register

67 people named Feist have a registered home in Poland.

Of the 128 in Poland’s national register, these are the ones with a permanent address on file. They live in 6 of Poland’s 16 voivodeships, most of all in Silesian.

Too few records to say where it concentrates region by region — these are plain counts, not shares.

Where they live today

Silesian 21
Greater Poland 16
West Pomeranian 14
Lower Silesian 10
Łódź 4
Masovian 2

PESEL register, Ministry of Digital Affairs of Poland (dane.gov.pl) — CC0 · living people by voivodeship of permanent residence, 20 January 2026.

In Switzerland’s population statistics

30 people named Feist live in Switzerland.

They live in 4 of Switzerland’s 26 cantons, most of all in Zurich.

Too few records to say where it concentrates region by region — these are plain counts, not shares.

Where they live today

Zurich 11
Bern 7
Thurgau 7
Solothurn 5

Swiss Federal Statistical Office (FSO), «Surnames of the permanent resident population by canton», 2025, opendata.swiss/en/dataset/nachnamen-der-standigen-wohnbevolkerung-nach-kanton3 · names with fewer than 3 bearers in a canton are not published.

In print

Feist in American newspapers,
1894–1906.

Newspaper page from Scranton Wochenblatt carrying the name Feist
Scranton Wochenblatt 1894-11-16
Newspaper page from Der Deutsche Beobachter carrying the name Feist
Der Deutsche Beobachter 1894-11-14
Newspaper page from The Columbia Herald carrying the name Feist
The Columbia Herald 1906-03-23

Chronicling America, Library of Congress — digitised newspapers in the public domain · 24,469 pages in all carry the name.

Who carried it

People named Feist,
with a public archive behind them.

  • Aleksander Feist
    Aleksander Feist 1824–1911 · politician
  • Gesina Feist d. 1942
  • Richard Feist d. 1999 · luger
  • Lucas Feist 1400– · politician
  • Gottfried Feist 1640–1664 · baker
  • Andreas Feist 1678– · master of calculations

Wikidata and Wikimedia Commons (CC0) · 10 lives in all are documented under this name.

Nearby in the index

Surnames next to Feist.

When the index is not enough

This page says where Feist is.
A volume says what happened to it.

Every page in the index is free and stays free. The Heritage Volume is the long form: the full paper trail, the arms, the crossing — bound, and yours.

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