2000
#28,088
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 803
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.30
Very Rare Last name
Fraiser
Of English origin, derived from the medieval French word "fraisier" meaning "strawberry grower".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 927 Americans carry the last name Fraiser. That puts it at #30,840 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.27 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 369,746 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Fraiser surname. You will find the Census Bureau frequency data, a multi-census history view, an ancestry and ethnicity breakdown based on self-reported demographics, the name's meaning and origin where available, and answers to the most common questions people ask about this surname.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Fraiser with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
927
1 in 369,746
Census rank
#30,840
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.3
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
808
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 808 bearers of the surname Fraiser in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.27 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 30840th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Fraiser, the largest self-reported group is White at 55.7%. The next largest groups are Black (33.0%) and Two or More Races (4.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Fraiser
The surname Fraiser has its roots in France, originating during the medieval period. It is believed to be a variant spelling of the French name Frazier, which is derived from the Old French word "fraisier," meaning "strawberry plant." This connection suggests that the original bearers of this name may have been strawberry farmers or resided in an area known for its strawberry cultivation.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Fraiser can be found in the Livre Terrien of Normandy, a medieval manuscript dating back to the 12th century. This document contains references to individuals bearing variations of the name, such as Fraisier and Fraiser.
During the 13th century, the name Fraiser appeared in various records across northern France, particularly in regions like Normandy and Brittany. It is possible that some bearers of this name were associated with places like Frazier, a commune in the Somme department of France.
In the 14th century, the name Fraiser was documented in the Doomsday Book, a comprehensive record of landowners and tenants in England commissioned by William the Conqueror in 1086. This suggests that individuals with this surname may have migrated from France to England during the Norman Conquest.
One notable historical figure bearing the surname Fraiser was Jacques Fraiser (1567-1635), a French mathematician and astronomer. He made significant contributions to the development of logarithms and was a pioneer in the study of celestial mechanics.
Another prominent individual was Marie-Marguerite Fraiser (1718-1794), a French painter known for her portraiture and genre scenes. She was a member of the prestigious Académie Royale de Peinture et de Sculpture and gained recognition for her artistic talent.
In the 17th century, the name Fraiser was also found in records relating to the settlement of North America. Pierre Fraiser (1622-1687) was a French colonist who arrived in Acadia (present-day eastern Canada) and played a role in the establishment of the colony.
During the 18th century, Jean-Baptiste Fraiser (1742-1822) was a French military officer who served in the American Revolutionary War. He fought alongside the Continental Army and was instrumental in several key battles against the British forces.
In the 19th century, Émile Fraiser (1814-1876) was a French author and poet known for his works celebrating the beauty of nature and the countryside. His poetry collections, such as "Les Chants du Terroir," were highly acclaimed in literary circles.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Fraiser
Among Census respondents with the surname Fraiser, the largest self-reported group is White at 55.7%. The next largest groups are Black (33.0%) and Two or More Races (4.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Fraiser bearers described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given surname, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown for every Census year so the breakdown stays comparable over time. When the source file also includes raw headcounts, Name Census shows those alongside the percentages in the legend.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A person's surname does not determine their race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the Fraiser surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White55.7% · 450
- Black or African American33.0% · 267
- Two or more races4.8% · 39
- Hispanic or Latino4.0% · 32
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.5% · 12
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.0% · 8
Timeline
Historical Census data for Fraiser
Fraiser appears in 3 published Census surname files: 2000, 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2010
#27,581
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 873
+70 bearers (+8.7%)
Per 100,000 0.30
Rank movement Up 507 places
2020
#30,840
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 808
-65 bearers (-7.4%)
Per 100,000 0.27
Rank movement Down 3,259 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #28,088 | 803 | 0.30 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #27,581 | 873 | 0.30 | +70 bearers (+8.7%) | Up 507 places |
| 2020 | #30,840 | 808 | 0.27 | -65 bearers (-7.4%) | Down 3,259 places |
For 2020, the Census Bureau published race and Hispanic-origin columns as counts rather than percentages. Name Census converts those counts back into shares so the ancestry section stays comparable with the older surname files.
Year on year
2010 vs 2020 Census
How has the Fraiser surname changed between Census years? The chart shows bearer count side by side, and the table compares rank, count, and frequency.
Census year comparison
20102020
| Metric | 2010 | 2020 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #27,581 | #30,840 | -11.8% |
| Count | 873 | 808 | -7.4% |
| Per 100K | 0.30 | 0.27 | -9.9% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Fraiser bearers went from 873 to 808 (-7.4% change). The surname moved down 3,259 positions in the national ranking, going from #27,581 to #30,840.
FAQ
Fraiser surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Fraiser?
Name Census estimates that about 927 living Americans carry the surname Fraiser. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 369,746 residents.
How common is Fraiser?
Fraiser ranks #30,840 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.27 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 808 people with the surname Fraiser. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (927), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.27 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.27 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Fraiser.
Has Fraiser become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Fraiser went from 873 recorded bearers to 808. That is a decrease of 65 (-7.4%). In the national ranking it fell from #27,581 to #30,840.
What does the Census say about the background of Fraiser?
Among Census respondents with the surname Fraiser, the largest self-reported group is White at 55.7%. The next largest groups are Black (33.0%) and Two or More Races (4.8%). These figures come from the 2020 Census Bureau surname tables, based on how respondents described their own race and ethnicity.
Which group reports this surname most often?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Fraiser in the 2020 Census, accounting for 55.7% (450 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Fraiser appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (55.7%), Black (33.0%), Two or More Races (4.8%). For 2020, the source file also published raw headcounts for each group, which is why this page can show both percentages and counts in the ancestry section.
Is this page using the latest Census data?
Yes. This page is using the latest surname file currently loaded on Name Census, which is 2020. The historical section above also keeps any older Census surname entries we have for Fraiser (2000, 2010, 2020).
Does the Census include every surname?
No. The Census Bureau only publishes surnames that appeared at least 100 times in a given decennial Census. That means very rare surnames are excluded entirely, and a surname can appear in one Census release but disappear from a later one if it falls below the reporting threshold.
Why don't the ancestry percentages always add up to exactly 100%?
There are two main reasons: rounding and suppression. The Census Bureau rounds published values, and it may suppress very small cells to protect privacy. For 2020, the Bureau also published raw group counts rather than direct percentages, so Name Census converts those counts back into shares for comparability across census years.
What does Fraiser mean?
Of English origin, derived from the medieval French word "fraisier" meaning "strawberry grower". The fuller origin note on this page goes into more detail.
Where does the surname data come from?
All surname statistics on Name Census are drawn from the US Census Bureau's decennial surname frequency tables. These files list every surname that appeared 100 or more times in the 2020 Census, along with a count, a per-100,000 rate, and a self-reported demographic breakdown. You can read the full explanation on our methodology page.
How does Name Census estimate living bearers?
For surnames, Name Census does not age cohorts the way it does for first names. Instead, it takes the Census Bureau's published frequency for Fraiser (0.27 per 100,000) and applies that rate to the current U.S. resident population to estimate how many living Americans have the surname today.
How many Americans have the surname Fraiser?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.