Fun Facts About the Name Fischer
- More than 2 thousand babies named Fischer: U.S. records list 2,176 babies given the name Fischer from 1880 through 2025. Even 19 girls received the name Fischer - about 1 girl for every 114 boys.
What Does the Name Fischer Mean?
Fischer is a German occupational name meaning "fisherman." It comes from Middle High German vischer, "fisherman," which developed from Old High German fiscari, an agent noun based on fisc, "fish." The literal sense is a person who catches, sells, or works with fish.
The name is primarily a surname. When it is used as a first name, it is a transferred surname rather than a name formed from older Germanic given-name elements. Its German spelling corresponds to the English cognate Fisher.
Fischer Name History & Origins
Fischer began as a German occupational byname. In medieval German-speaking regions, a fisherman or fish seller could be identified as vischer or fischer, and such descriptive terms became hereditary surnames as family names fixed in the German lands between roughly the 12th and 16th centuries.
The surname is widespread in Germany, Austria, and Switzerland and is among the most common German family names. German-speaking emigrants carried it to North America and elsewhere, where the Fischer spelling often remained in use alongside the English form Fisher. As a first name, Fischer is a transferred use of the surname, not an old Germanic personal name.
In Ashkenazic Jewish communities of German-speaking Europe, Fischer also appears as a surname from the same German occupational source. Some Jewish families adopted or were assigned hereditary surnames under official decrees in the late 18th and 19th centuries, but the specific reason any one family chose Fischer is usually not recoverable.
How Popular is the Name Fischer?
Fischer has historically been an exceptionally rare given name in the United States, remaining well outside the national mainstream. It saw its highest recorded annual births in 2015. Its best rank was #1,555 in 2015.
U.S. name popularity from 1880-2025, based on SSA data. Rank shows how the name compares with other names - lower numbers mean greater popularity. Births shows how many babies received the name each year.
| Year | Rank | Births | % |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2018 | #14,391 | 6 | 0.0004% |
| 2017 | #16,685 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 2016 | #12,136 | 8 | 0.0005% |
| Year | Rank | Births | % |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #2,215 | 64 | 0.0037% |
| 2024 | #1,996 | 77 | 0.0045% |
| 2023 | #1,932 | 81 | 0.0047% |
| 2022 | #2,087 | 72 | 0.0041% |
| 2021 | #2,004 | 74 | 0.0042% |
| 2020 | #1,850 | 80 | 0.0046% |
| 2019 | #1,827 | 83 | 0.0046% |
| 2018 | #1,780 | 86 | 0.0047% |
| 2017 | #1,631 | 97 | 0.0052% |
| 2016 | #1,689 | 93 | 0.0049% |
| 2015 | #1,555 | 104 | 0.0054% |
| 2014 | #1,566 | 101 | 0.0053% |
| 2013 | #1,714 | 86 | 0.0045% |
| 2012 | #1,605 | 97 | 0.0051% |
| 2011 | #1,573 | 99 | 0.0052% |
| 2010 | #1,600 | 98 | 0.0051% |
| 2009 | #1,813 | 82 | 0.0041% |
| 2008 | #1,669 | 92 | 0.0045% |
| 2007 | #1,962 | 72 | 0.0035% |
| 2006 | #1,778 | 78 | 0.0038% |
| 2005 | #2,014 | 62 | 0.0031% |
| 2004 | #2,257 | 51 | 0.0026% |
| 2003 | #2,217 | 49 | 0.0025% |
| 2002 | #2,311 | 45 | 0.0023% |
| 2001 | #2,358 | 42 | 0.0022% |
| 2000 | #2,308 | 42 | 0.0021% |
| 1999 | #2,634 | 33 | 0.0017% |
| 1998 | #2,807 | 29 | 0.0015% |
| 1997 | #2,636 | 30 | 0.0016% |
| 1996 | #4,456 | 14 | 0.0007% |
| 1995 | #3,351 | 20 | 0.0011% |
| 1994 | #4,379 | 14 | 0.0007% |
| 1993 | #5,484 | 10 | 0.0005% |
Name popularity over more than a century, based on Social Security Administration data. Gaps in the chart indicate years when the name does not appear in the published records.
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How the Name Fischer Shapes Your Personality and Life?
You are kind, home-loving, hospitable and friendly. Since you take responsibility well, you are a good organizer of social affairs. Compassion for others is an outstanding trait. You are a great lover and a great flirt – an artist, musician, actor, teacher, nurse. Your character can be contradictory. You are practical, yet idealistic and intuitive; capable of selfless devotion to someone you love, yet look to receive payback. You are intuitive and might be interested in the arts, drama or science.
You are seeking freedom, opportunities to enjoy life: to make love, to go places and to do things. You are very adventurous and willing to take risk to achieve your objectives. New ways and new experiences can't satisfy your restless nature. One adventure leads you to another. You are honest and fair, because you know that this is the only way to receive justice and honesty from other people. But your personal growth is vital for you, and it is difficult to be tied down by rules and obligations. Your restless spirit might best controlled by choosing the field of work that meet your demand for action and adventure.
✦ Fischer's Deeper Meaning & Tips for Parents Discover Fischer's symbolic numbers and practical tips for choosing a name that complements your child's birth date.