2000
#9,102
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,300
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.22
Rare Last name
Frakes
Derived from a Middle English place name meaning "place at the heather-covered hill."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 3,541 Americans carry the last name Frakes. That puts it at #9,972 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.03 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 96,796 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Frakes 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.
Bearers in the US
3.5K
1 in 96,796
Census rank
#9,972
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
3.1K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 3,088 bearers of the surname Frakes in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.03 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 9972nd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Frakes, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.9%) and Two or More Races (3.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Frakes
The surname FRAKES has its origins in England, tracing back to the Middle Ages. It is thought to derive from the Old English words "frec" or "frec-a," meaning bold, brave, or fierce. This suggests that the name may have originally been a descriptive nickname given to someone with a bold or courageous personality.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the FRAKES name can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, which was a comprehensive record of landowners and property holdings commissioned by William the Conqueror. In this document, the name appears in various spellings, such as "Frake" and "Frakes."
During the Norman conquest of England in the 11th century, many place names were altered or given new Norman-French spellings. It is possible that the FRAKES name may have originated from a place name that underwent such a transformation, although no definitive evidence has been found to support this theory.
One of the earliest known individuals with the FRAKES surname was John Frakes, who was born in Lincolnshire, England, around 1520. He was a prominent merchant and landowner during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I.
Another notable figure was Sir Edward Frakes (1570-1635), a military commander who served in the English army during the Anglo-Spanish War and the Thirty Years' War. He was knighted for his bravery and leadership on the battlefield.
In the 18th century, the FRAKES name gained further prominence with the birth of Samuel Frakes (1722-1795), a renowned painter and portraitist who received numerous commissions from the British aristocracy.
During the Victorian era, the FRAKES family produced several prominent academics and scholars, including Professor William Frakes (1838-1912), a renowned linguist and expert in ancient languages at the University of Oxford.
Another notable figure was Sir James Frakes (1865-1941), a British explorer and botanist who led several expeditions to the Amazon rainforest and made significant contributions to the study of tropical flora and fauna.
These are just a few examples of individuals with the FRAKES surname who have left their mark on history. While the name may have humble beginnings, it has been carried by many remarkable people over the centuries, reflecting its potential connection to boldness and courage.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Frakes
Among Census respondents with the surname Frakes, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.9%) and Two or More Races (3.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Frakes 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 Frakes surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White89.4% · 2,761
- Hispanic or Latino3.9% · 121
- Two or more races3.6% · 112
- Black or African American1.4% · 43
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.1% · 35
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.5% · 16
Timeline
Historical Census data for Frakes
Frakes 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
#9,733
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,332
+32 bearers (+1.0%)
Per 100,000 1.13
Rank movement Down 631 places
2020
#9,972
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,088
-244 bearers (-7.3%)
Per 100,000 1.03
Rank movement Down 239 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #9,102 | 3,300 | 1.22 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #9,733 | 3,332 | 1.13 | +32 bearers (+1.0%) | Down 631 places |
| 2020 | #9,972 | 3,088 | 1.03 | -244 bearers (-7.3%) | Down 239 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 Frakes 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 | #9,733 | #9,972 | -2.5% |
| Count | 3,332 | 3,088 | -7.3% |
| Per 100K | 1.13 | 1.03 | -8.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Frakes bearers went from 3,332 to 3,088 (-7.3% change). The surname moved down 239 positions in the national ranking, going from #9,733 to #9,972.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Frakes
FAQ
Frakes surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Frakes?
Name Census estimates that about 3,541 living Americans carry the surname Frakes. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 96,796 residents.
How common is Frakes?
Frakes ranks #9,972 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.03 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 3,088 people with the surname Frakes. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (3,541), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.03 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.03 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Frakes.
Has Frakes become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Frakes went from 3,332 recorded bearers to 3,088. That is a decrease of 244 (-7.3%). In the national ranking it fell from #9,733 to #9,972.
What does the Census say about the background of Frakes?
Among Census respondents with the surname Frakes, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.9%) and Two or More Races (3.6%). 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 Frakes in the 2020 Census, accounting for 89.4% (2,761 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Frakes appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (89.4%), Hispanic (3.9%), Two or More Races (3.6%). 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 Frakes (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 Frakes mean?
Derived from a Middle English place name meaning "place at the heather-covered hill." 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 Frakes (1.03 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 people have the surname Frakes?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.