What does fifer mean?
Definitions for fifer
fifer
This dictionary definitions page includes all the possible meanings, example usage and translations of the word fifer.
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Wiktionary
fifernoun
One who plays on a fife.
Fifernoun
A person who hails from the county of Fife in Scotland.
Wikipedia
Fifer
A fifer is a non-combatant military occupation of a foot soldier who originally played the fife during combat. The practice was instituted during the period of Early Modern warfare to sound signals during changes in formation, such as the line, and were also members of the regiment's military band during marches. These soldiers, often boys too young to fight or sons of NCOs, were used to help infantry battalions to keep marching pace from the right of the formation in coordination with the drummers positioned at the centre, and relayed orders in the form of sequences of musical signals. The fife was particularly useful because of its high pitched sound, which could be heard over the sounds of battle. Fifers were present in numerous wars of note, as Armies of the 18th and 19th centuries "depended on company fifers and drummers for communicating orders during battle, regulating camp formations and duties, and providing music for marching, ceremonies, and moral."The usual allocation of fifers in a battalion during the Early Modern warfare period varied from five to eight. The field music regimental bands, particularly of the high prestige units such as the guards had as many as 32 (in the Preobrazhensky regiment) or more fifers. Some fifers, as part of the fife and drum corps that accompanied British Captain Arthur Phillip and the First Fleet, were present at important Australian, such as the reading of the Governor's Commission on 2 February 1788 at Sydney Cove. Fifers were also present in the American Revolutionary War, although there were at times shortages of fifers that were "fit for duty." This staffing dilemma lead to the creation of a "learner" fifer category, which were drawn from within the revolutionary ranks rather than externally recruited.
Webster Dictionary
Fifernoun
one who plays on a fife
Wikidata
Fifer
A fifer is a non-combatant military occupation of a foot soldier who originally played the fife during combat. The practice was instituted during the period of Early Modern warfare to sound signals during changes in formation, such as the line, and were also members of the regiment's military band during marches. These soldiers, often boys too young to fight or sons of NCO's, were used to help infantry battalions to keep marching pace from the right of the formation in coordination with the drummers positioned at the centre, and relayed orders in the form of sequences of musical signals. The fife was particularly useful because of its high pitched sound, which could be heard over the sounds of battle. The usual allocation of fifers in a battalion during the Early Modern warfare period varied from five to eight. The regimental bands, particularly of the high prestige units such as the guards had as many as 32 or more fifers. Some fifers, as part of the fife-and-drum corps that accompanied Captain Arthur Phillip and the First Fleet, were present at important national historical events, such as the reading of the Governor's Commission on 2 February 1788 at Sydney Cove.
Military Dictionary and Gazetteer
fifer
One who plays a fife; there is one fifer allowed to each company of infantry in the U. S. army. Fifers are also employed aboard men-of-war, and in the marine corps.
Surnames Frequency by Census Records
FIFER
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, Fifer is ranked #10743 in terms of the most common surnames in America.
The Fifer surname appeared 2,971 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 1 would have the surname Fifer.
73.3% or 2,179 total occurrences were White.
20.1% or 599 total occurrences were Black.
2.5% or 77 total occurrences were of Hispanic origin.
2.2% or 68 total occurrences were of two or more races.
1% or 32 total occurrences were American Indian or Alaskan Native.
0.5% or 16 total occurrences were Asian.
Numerology
Chaldean Numerology
The numerical value of fifer in Chaldean Numerology is: 6
Pythagorean Numerology
The numerical value of fifer in Pythagorean Numerology is: 8
Popularity rank by frequency of use
References
Translations for fifer
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"fifer." Definitions.net. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 18 Mar. 2024. <https://www.definitions.net/definition/fifer>.
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